An international animal protection group set up to save bears and other animals from cruelty in China and Vietnam has thanked Worcester shoppers.

The charity, Animals Asia thanked Worcester people for their generosity after it raised more than £360 at a street collection in the city centre on Saturday, August 3.

Christine Coldrick, Worcestershire Co-ordinator for Animals Asia, said: "At our collection in Worcester on Saturday we raised £360.80, and I would like to thank everyone who gave so generously."

"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."

The charity also has bear sanctuaries in China and Vietnam where bears are cared for and rehabilitated and the team gathers evidence of the effects of bile extraction.

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