AN international animal protection group set up to save bears and other animals from cruelty in China and Vietnam has thanked Malvern shoppers for their generosity after it raised almost £2,200 at street collections in the county this year.

Christine Coldrick, Worcestershire Co-ordinator for Animals Asia, said: "At our latest collection in Kidderminster on Saturday we raised £219.26, to add to nearly £2,000 from seven previous collections in Kidderminster, Bewdley, Stourport, Bromsgrove, Malvern and Worcester.

"I would like to thank everyone in the county who has given so generously. The amount raised is amazing and I am truly grateful to all who have donated.

"Animals Asia was founded in 1998 to protect and rescue Moon Bears, who are kept in tiny cages and appalling conditions in China and Vietnam, so they can be used for the agonising extraction of bile from their gall bladders for use in Chinese medicine.

"Since then, the charity has extended its activities to the welfare of cats and dogs in China, where they are often abandoned and sometimes sold in meat markets, and to the protection of animals in the country's zoos and safari parks, where they often suffer abuse.

"More information can be found on the Animals Asia website at www.animalsasia.org and anyone wishing to help with future fundraising in Worcestershire can contact me on chriscoldrick@gmail.com"