Amazingly, Mafi managed to put the horror of her past behind her, spending four happy years at the rescue centre. Mafi, our beautiful ambassador bear, whose photo appeared on the cover of our 2008 calendar and also on the cover of our recently released photo book “Freedom Moon”, died on 12 March, the latest victim of liver cancer. Sadly, we had only recently chosen Mafi as one of our official ambassador bears by including her as one of the bears in our Befriend a Bear programme. When Mafi, whose name means “forgiveness” in Hindi, came to our Chengdu Moon Bear Rescue in 2005, she was a deeply distressed bear. Her years of torture on a bile farm had left her extremely frail, anxious and prone to stereotypic pacing and rocking. We’re not sure how long Mafi spent caged on a farm in Sichuan, but it was long enough to cause irreparable damage to her gall bladder and to plant the seed for the massive liver tumour that ultimately took her life. During her hellish years on the farm, Mafi was crammed into a tiny cage and milked daily for her bile through a permanent hole that was carved into her abdomen and gall bladder. Each time the farmer extracted bile, he would use a tube or rod to prod open the infected wound, which was naturally trying to heal. The constant pain this poor bear endured for so long is impossible to imagine. In the early days of her rescue, Mafi refused all food until our bear carers convinced her to try sedative-laced fruit smoothies, which eased some of her anxiety. Over time, she started to respond to the care and attention lavished on her by her carers and the real Mafi began to emerge. Amazingly, she not only recovered, but took to her new life of freedom with the exuberance of a child. Naturally curious and playful, Mafi was often the first bear to try out new rehab equipment, such as “her” beloved swing, that kept her enthralled for hours at a time. She was with us for four years, and right up to the end, she delighted in robust play as if each day were her first day of freedom. True to her name, Mafi managed to put the past behind her, forgiving the species that had caused her such agony ************************************************************ Four good years Sunday, March 15, 2009, 08:43 AM Jills Blog The dreaded “policeman’s knock” came at 9.20am on Thursday. It was Jill on the line, her voice trembling slightly: “Oh Ange, I’m so sorry ….” I knew immediately it was Mafi. But it made no sense. The last time I’d seen this gorgeous, outrageous bear, she was frolicking happily, bowling over other bears with her boisterous play and hogging “her” swing. Mafi was life itself. Jill, who was in Chengdu with Mafi when the vet team anaesthetised her and discovered she had a massive liver tumour, had kindly called so I could say a few words to her over the phone as she was gently put to sleep. Words failed me then as they do now. Jill later asked if I’d like to write about Mafi on her blog. I’ve really been struggling with this because words, or at least my handling of them, simply seem inadequate. Jill also asked for some words from Donata, (who is the current Bear Manager of the team of caring people who have given Mafi so many wonderful days in paradise). I'm sure she has some incredible memories to share with us when she has the time …. So I’ll keep my words short, and instead post four photos that for me best show Mafi’s amazing journey from the frail, anxious, depleted soul that was delivered to our China sanctuary four and a half years ago to the inspiring ambassador for moon bears that she became. This stunning bear, who appeared on the cover of our 2008 calendar and our photo book “Freedom Moon”, was after all our full-figured supermodel, who loved nothing more than posing for photos. The first shot was taken the day poor Mafi arrived at the sanctuary in Chengdu. All the bears arrive in tiny cages, but even by the horrific standards of the farms, the size of Mafi’s cage was shocking. She was severely distressed in those early days, exhibiting stereotypic pacing and rocking. Months of sedative-laced fruit shakes, good nutrition, world-class veterinary treatment and highly professional day-to-day care by patient and kind people saw her gradually build up trust in her carers and Mafi blossomed (and, ahem, bloomed). So some months later when I had the privilege of meeting this incredible animal, she was calm enough to sit happily in her comfy straw-filled recovery cage and take the honey-roasted cashews I offered her. I noticed she was cleverly squirreling some away for later, making a little stash with her paw, then looking at me with those cow-brown eyes and gently rolling out her tongue for more. Who could not love this bear? That was in 2005: The next two photos show how easily this magnificent bear was able to turn my despair to joy for a few minutes just watching her at play during the horrific rescue of 28 skeletal bears last March. These images also show so how well she lived up to her name, “Mafi”, which means “forgiveness” in Hindi (and was suggested to me by my dear friend Archana in Bangalore). This spirited bear did not waste one moment of her four good years. And this last image is one I love dearly. It was our Marketing Director, Juanita, who first noticed this photo had that extra special quality. And it has. Just look at Mafi's face. www.animalsasia.org