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Animal Hero Honored With OBE |
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BRIGHTON, ENGLAND, Jun. 20 -/E-Wire/-- A man who devotes his life to rescuing animals, from dancing bears on the streets of India to a whale stranded in the centre of London, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's Honours List in recognition of his services to animal welfare.
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Alan Knight is Head of International Animal Rescue (IAR) and Chairman of its sister charity, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR.) He is a staunch vegetarian, and passionately outspoken in support of animals.
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On hearing the news Alan said: "I'm thrilled to receive this award, not only as a tremendous personal honour, but more importantly because it reflects the importance attached to animals and animal welfare in this country. It is a clear indication of the nation's great affection for animals and wildlife that I have received such recognition.
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I accept it not only for myself but also as a tribute to the teams of people who work with me on projects to save animals around the world - and on behalf of the animals we are all trying to protect. One individual can inspire and motivate others, but it is only by joining forces and working as a team that we can be truly effective in the field of animal rescue. It is only by working closely with our Indian partners, Wildlife SOS, that we have been able to rescue more than 200 dancing bears off the streets of India, and are on course eventually to stamp out the ghastly practice for good.
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I hope this honour leads to greater awareness of animal suffering and gives them a stronger voice. It recognizes the importance, not only of conserving entire species, but also of rescuing and relieving the suffering of individual animals. Whether they are dancing bears on the streets of India, stranded marine mammals around the UK coastline, or unwanted cats and dogs fending for themselves on the streets, all are equally deserving of our protection.
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An OBE will give me a better platform for speaking out against animal abuse. This week we heard from the International Whaling Commission meeting that Japan and other pro-whaling countries are a significant step closer to resuming commercial whaling. This is a huge threat to the world's whale populations and anti-whaling nations must do all in their power to protest against it.
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