Moon Bear Monday: Xuan Xuan And Pippin Are The Best Of Enemies

A special #moonbearmonday this week by guest writer and Animals Asia's Chengdu Bear Rescue Center Team Leader Lu Wenjuan.

I would like to introduce a special bear. The reason she is special is because she has a beautiful name Xuan Xuan, which means 'Graceful.' In my eyes, she is fit, has a beautiful face, and has a pair of round but thick ears that make her seem super-smart.

Xuan Xuan is amiable but has a clear-cut stand on what to love and what to hate.

For months she refused to forgive her little friend Pippin after they rowed over a piece of cabbage.

They growled whenever they met, neither one willing to make a concession.

But recently Pippin has been sick. She's been having trouble moving so staff have decided to keep her in her den to rest.

Of course, Xuan Xuan wasn't able to find her in the enclosure and seemed worried. Having realized that Pippin is staying in her den, she visits her every day by the den doors and 'talks' from time to time.

We can tell from her expression that her noises are neither mock nor provocation, but care and love. Xuan Xuan and Pippin lie down face to face and look at each other through the slide door."

Both Xuan Xuan and Pippin were rescued from China's bear bile industry. More than 12,000 bears are believed to remain on bear bile farms around the country. The animals are kept in horrifying conditions suffering regular bile extraction for use in traditional medicine.

The bile, which is stored in the gall bladder, is collected by means of various extraction methods, all of which cause massive infections in the bears. Most farmed bears are starved, dehydrated and suffering from multiple diseases and malignant tumors that not only contaminate their bile but ultimately kill them. Very few receive appropriate medication or any type of veterinary care.

Xuan Xuan doesn't know it yet, but due to her mobility issues, Pippin and her close friend Bronwyn will be moving to a new enclosure that is better suited to their disabilities.

Xuan Xuan will have to find a new friend to squabble with over cabbage.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other bears in the enclosure for her to choose from.

It seems Xuan Xuan and the moon bears have taught us yet another lesson: don't take your friends for granted because you never know what may be round the corner.

Hope you all have a great #moonbearmonday and a fantastic week.