About Us

She supervises students during internships and is a student coach as well. Lilian has a Bachelor degree in Environmental Science, she has a teaching degree and a second degree in the Dutch language. Lilian is committed to sustainability. She is a real team player and is very creative. Lilian has travelled extensively, she spends a lot of time with her family and enjoys the outdoors with her dog.

Anne has always loved being around animals but it was after feeling completely helpless when she saw a street dog with matted fur and conjunctivitis while traveling through Mexico in 1994 that she decided she wanted to do something to help neglected animals overseas.

On her return to Australia, she began working in the not-for-profit sector gaining valuable experience in fundraising and events management. Five years later she began working for the NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES) as Publicity Officer and then for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) as Campaigns and Publicity Coordinator, finally achieving her goal to work in international animal welfare.  From WSPA she took on the role of Australian Director for Animals Asia Foundation (Australia) where she spent 16 years managing fundraising, corporate governance and marketing for the AUS and NZ markets. Anne currently manages the regular giving program for the University of Tasmania and also sits on the Board of Brightside Farm Sanctuary.   In addition to her 25 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector, Anne holds a business degree majoring in Public Relations and a certificate in Direct Marketing from the Australian Direct Marketing Association.

Working in partnership with the China Association of
Zoological Gardens and wildlife rescue centres in Vietnam to implement management
training initiatives for animal managers and vets and enclosure improvements.
David leads a campaign to end elephant riding in Vietnam and has established the country’s
first ethical elephant tourism experience in partnership with the Yok Don National Park
David also leads a capacity building education programme to improve the welfare of all
animals, develop animal welfare concepts within the veterinary teaching curriculum, and
humane education initiatives within schools.
David holds a first degree in Environmental Science and a Masters degree with distinction
in Conservation Biology. David delivers lectures on animal welfare issues at universities and
public venues across China and Vietnam and participates within both national and
international conferences, disseminating information and developing strategies to improve
the welfare of animals across Asia.
David is a member of the Asia for Animals coalition. A coalition of international non-
governmental organizations (NGO's) campaigning on animal protection issues across Asia.
David is also a member of the Species Survival Network an international coalition of over
eighty NGOs committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Debbie has managed large teams of keepers and inspired and mentored many young
keepers over her career. Her passion and commitment to wildlife and animal welfare has
seen Debbie play a key role on a number of overseas projects and workshops, including the
rehoming of 4 brown bears from Japan to Yorkshire Wildlife Park in 2017 and helping to
educate and train staff in Hanoi Zoo where enrichment is now an everyday occurrence.
Debbie is currently the Animal Manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Park where she oversees a
team of 18 keepers ranging from non-qualified keepers to team leaders , also responsible
for the hoof stock and carnivore health and safety protocols for both animals and staff /
visitors partaking in various animal experiences , and, liaising with vets regarding heath and
preventative health matters at YWP. Her practical working knowledge in animal
management has proved invaluable in the development of zoo facilities and animal
housing/enclosures and enrichment within the UK, Vietnam and Japan
Debbie’s passion for animals extends to her home she shares with husband Alan and their 3
dogs, 4 cats and a very old tortoise. Debbie has also worked and owned horses and farm
animals over the last 30 years.
Debbie is also a Trustee for the Irish Wolfhound Charitable Trust.

She has pioneered the development of an innovative (sun bear) conservation education centre in East Kalimantan visited now by more than 70.000 local people annually, and is interested in wildlife surveys, monitoring techniques, and training/capacity building of local conservation NGOs and students. Gabriella is co-chair of the Sun Bear Expert Team of the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group.

She is currently a senior lecturer in journalism at Kingston University, and has previously worked as a consultant for the UN and the UAE government, among others. Fiona has a real passion for the natural world, travel and human rights. She first met co-founder Nic in the 1990s, when they volunteered together on a conservation project in Uganda. In 2015, she co-founded a charity helping Syrian refugees to resettle in her local area, Tonbridge Welcomes Refugees, for which she remains a trustee.

A hands-on leader, Jill is involved in all major decision-making. She works with the vet and bear teams during rescues and health checks and advises closely on construction projects. She visits dog and cat markets and zoos and safari parks throughout China to document the abuse of animals and over the years has made countless visits to hospitals and homes for the elderly with her own and Animals Asia’s animal-therapy dogs. She writes her own blog, her own speeches and presentations, is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines and a frequent guest on radio and TV shows. She has also co-written a children’s book about moon bears and co-written a number of scientific papers with Animals Asia’s vet teams. Born in the UK, Jill arrived in Hong Kong in 1985 and spent 12 years working in Asia as a consultant for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Repeatedly faced with scenes of widespread animal cruelty, she decided to introduce the concept of ‘animal welfare through people welfare’ and founded Dr Dog in Hong Kong in 1991 – the first animal-therapy programme in Asia. Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998 – five years after an encounter with a caged bear on a farm in southern China changed her life forever. Learning that bear bile could be replaced by herbs, she vowed to put an end to bear bile farming. Since then, Animals Asia has rescued over 530 bears in China and Vietnam. In 2010, both Animals Asia’s China and Vietnam rescue centres were awarded the Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence and in 2014 they were accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries – the only sanctuaries in China and Vietnam to have received this honour. Jill is a Council Member of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) Herbal Committee and her outstanding contribution to animal welfare has been recognised with a number of awards. In 1995, she won the ‘Reader’s Digest’ Hero for Today award. In 1998, she was made an MBE by Queen Elizabeth of England. In 2008, she was named ‘Outstanding Earth Champion’ in Hong Kong and was appointed World Animal Day Ambassador for Asia. In 2010, she was one of 12 recognised foreigners given the ‘You Bring Charm to China’ award. Jill received an honorary doctorate in veterinary science from the University of Zurich, Switzerland in 2012, and an honorary law degree from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China in 2014. She shares her home in Hong Kong with her family of rescued dogs, cats and a tortoise.