Gloucester and England rugby hero Trevor Woodman has made a personal pledge to help us rescue the ‘dancing’ bears in India.
Trevor signed up to IAR’s campaign after his girlfriend Katy received our ‘Free the Bears’leaflet. Twenty-seven year old Trevor is also hoping to visit the Agra bear sanctuary later in the year to see the work we are doing to get the bears off the streets.
The World Cup winning prop, who will be joining Sale next season, has already thrown his professional weight behind efforts to raise funds for the bears by holding a special collection at a Gloucester Premiership game in April. Donations made at the match and in response to local publicity amounted to a fantastic £3,000!
Trevor was appalled when he read about the brutal treatment of the bears from the moment they are snatched from their mothers as tiny cubs.
He says: “Some people get involved with charities that have affected them in a personal way but animal cruelty is something I feel strongly about. The literature I read was pretty harrowing – these young bears are captured, have their teeth knocked out and claws pulled out with pliers so they become submissive and then a hot iron is put through their nose so a ring and chain can be attached. It simply hit a chord with me. They are huge animals that are so intimidating but so helpless with the way they have been treated.”
We have warmly welcomed Trevor’s support for the campaign and invited him to become a patron of IAR. There’s no doubt his personal backing will be a huge boost and we look forward to working with him in the future.