Along with Olivia Newton-John, Jane Goodall and many others, the two stars record their part to raise awareness of the plight of the Asiatic black bear, and the urgent need to end of mistreatment.
- Aug 7, 2020
AceShowbiz - Ricky Gervais, Dame Judi Dench and Olivia Newton-John are demanding an end to animal mistreatment in a star-studded new Animals Asia video.
The stars all don The Only Cure is Kindness T-shirts for the viral appeal, which the celebrities recorded from their homes last month.
The video was staged to raise awareness of the plight of the Asiatic black bear, and the urgent need to end the practice of holding the creatures in tiny cages so their bile can be extracted for use in traditional medicine. The promo marks Animals Asia's Moon Bear Day on August 8.
The organization's bosses aim to rescue 500 bears from bear bile farms in Vietnam by 2022, so they can live out their lives in a sanctuary.
"If this (COVID-19) crisis has taught us anything, it's the power of leaving nature alone...," comedian Gervais says. "We've got so much to learn from animals and nature and there is so much we can do to help. Animals Asia are actively harnessing that kindness to end bear-bile farming, rescuing bears and taking care of them. Let's be kinder to nature, and kinder and more forgiving to each other too."
As the celebrities recorded the video messages, Animals Asia rescued two three-month-old moon bear cubs that had been illegally trapped and put on sale on the black market, and are now taking care of them at a sanctuary in Tam Dao, Vietnam.
The video also features conservationist Dame Jane Goodall, "Mulan" star Tzi Ma, "Downton Abbey" stars Peter Egan and Lesley Nicol, former Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash and Matt Sorum, Joanna Lumley, James Cromwell and Alicia Silverstone among others.
Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix is also spreading the word by appearing on social media wearing one of the special The Only Cure is Kindness T-shirts.
