Vietnam’s sole bear sanctuary in Vinh Phuc Province is facing a shutdown that will see 104 rescued bears forced out into cages. Vietnam Bear Rescue Center (VBRC), funded by Animals Asia, is located in Tam Dao National Park. It has recently sent an appeal to a number of agencies for help. On October 5, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) informed Animals Asia that the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense has issued an order to relocate the sanctuary and evict its 104 rescued bears, VBRC said. The closure would see 104 bears that have been rescued from the bile industry evicted, 77 local Vietnamese staff made unemployed, and Animals Asia would suffer financial losses of more than US$2 million, Animals Asia - headquartered in Hong Kong - said. The Vietnamese government’s commitment to ending bear bile farming will also be undermined, the charity organization added. The eviction will put an end to the Vietnam’s 2005 agreement with Animals Asia to fund and develop a facility on 12 hectares of the park that would permanently rehabilitate and house 200 endangered bears rescued from the illegal bear bile industry. Based on this agreement, Animals Asia has invested more than US$2 million in building and infrastructure.

These bears will suffer great psychological trauma if they are forced to live in captivity   (Photo: Animals Asia)

Animals Asia is devoted to ending the barbaric practice of bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals in China and Vietnam, where bears are kept in small cages for up to 30 years so their bile can be extracted through catheters, needles and open wounds. As shown on Animals Asia’s website, the organization has sent a petition to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asking for an overturn of the eviction decision. In talking with Tuoi Tre, Do Dinh Tien, director of the Tam Dao National Park, said MARD is considering the relocation of the center, arrangement for staff to be made redundant, and compensation to Animals Asia. On October 11, Phan Thuy Trinh, who is in charge of communication of VBRC, warned that the 104 rescued bears will suffer great psychological trauma if they are forced to live in captivity after a long time of freely living in the wild habitat in the sanctuary.