Tarrytown Resident To Run London Marathon To Save Moon Bears

TARRYTOWN, NY — Kai Madden loves bears. More specifically, he has literally jumped many hurdles in order to raise funds and awareness for moon bears who are victims of the bear bile farming industry in China and Vietnam. On April 23, 2017, the Tarrytown resident will run the London Marathon as a fundraiser for those bears — wearing a bear suit.

In China and Vietnam, thousands of bears are held captive in tiny cages and suffer excruciating pain as their bile is taken from them, for use in traditional medicine, according to a spokeswoman.

Some bears spend their entire lives subject to these conditions—never seeing the light of day, not able to turn around, their claws growing into the pads of their paws. They display stereotypic behavior (repetitive movements that are signs of stress) and bite the bars of their cages in an attempt to set themselves free, cracking their teeth which causes further suffering.

Animals Asia has worked to put an end to the bears’ suffering in China and Vietnam, rescuing hundreds of them from the bile farming industry, and sheltering them at bear rescue centres—expansive sanctuaries where the bears can be free to play, splash in pools, and forage for food, while receiving the best of veterinary care.

See a video about Kai Madden here.

Madden first learned about the plight of the bears as a child in Derby, England, nearly 20 years ago. As an adult, he has repeatedly gone out of his way to create very special fundraisers for Animals Asia’s work to save the bears. In 2013 and 2015, he took on the notorious Tough Mudder obstacle course challenge in a full bear costume. He also ran 10 miles from New York City’s Harlem to Brooklyn dressed as a moon bear for World Animal Day in 2015. To date he has raised approximately $40,000 to help the bears.

Given Madden's long history with the bears, it’s fitting that this year he returns to England, the land where he first learned of their plight, to run the London Marathon—dressed in a full moon bear costume.

Madden said:

“I first read about bear bile farming in the newspaper when I was a kid in England about 20 years ago.There was a picture of a bear in a cage so small, it was bulging out through the bars. The story went on to say that the bear had been in the cage for 10 years. It made me really upset. That image stayed with me all this time, and one day I just decided to do something about it. It felt really good to take action rather than turn a blind eye. That’s when I found Animals Asia. Running races in a moon bear costume is my way of making up for lost time. It also helps me raise awareness about the plight of these bears in a way that’s accessible to people who’ve never heard of the grim reality of bear farming.”

Donations to Madden's London Marathon moon bear fundraiser can be made here.

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Photo credits: Courtesy.