PETITIONING:

The honerable Thongsing Thammavong Prime Minister Lao PDR

Zhao Wei President King Romans Group

Thong Loun Sisoulith Minister of Foreign Affairs

Professor Dr Bosent Kham Vongdara Minister of Dept Information, Culture & Technology

Sitaheng Rasphone Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

 

King Romans Casino, Bokeo province, Lao PDR

 

 The casino is located in the special economic zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province, Lao PDR.

 

It is owned by a Chinese investor named Zhao Wei and opened its doors in 2009.

 

In addition to the gambling complex a number of animals are being held for the amusement of visitors.

 

The worst welfare examples are ten Asiatic Black bears, also known as moon bears, which are a native species to Lao PDR. Eight bears are held together in a concrete cage and spend their day stereotypically pacing, a behaviour known to be stress induced.

 

A further two bears are held in cages not much bigger than themselves, have no access to water, any form of enrichment or shelter from the harsh elements.

 

One of these bears is missing a paw, which is evidence of wild capture, and the other has a grossly swollen face and receives no treatment.

 

Bears are highly intelligent animals and may live in excess of 30 years so the conditions they must endure on a daily basis is agonising.

 

Lao law prohibits the capture of wild bears and has standards for keeping of captive animals. Unfortunately the government turns a blind eye and ignores the plight of these animals and the casino owners do not care about anything else other than profits.

 

The Wildlife & Aquatic Law of Lao PDR prohibits the keeping of wild caught bears. Bears at the casino have visible snare injuries which indicate capture from the wild. The same law also dictates standards that are required for keeping animals in captivity and are clearly not being met.

 

The casino continues to bring shame to the good people of Lao PDR and tarnishes the name of the country as a tourist destination.

 

The Wildlife & Aquatic Law of Lao PDR prohibits the keeping of wild caught bears.  Bears at the casino have visible snare injuries which indicate capture from the wild.  The same law also dictates standards that are required for keeping animals in captivity and are clearly not being met.

 

The casino continues to bring shame to the good people of Lao PDR and tarnishes the name of the country as a tourist destination. 

We are aware of the awful conditions the poor bears at King Romans Casino endure in 2014.  We implore you to take action and remove the bears immediately.

 We call on the honorable Prime Minister, Thongsing Thammavong, to mandate the following actions immediately:

 1.  Remove the bears from the casino complex

2.  Have the bears transferred to an animal welfare organization where they will be able to receive professional care and veterinary treatment.

 3. Ensure that no further bears are acquired by the casino management.

 

Please SIGN the petition so that we can convince the authorities not to ignore these animals and their suffering. 

Please take action, the world is watching.