A man in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has given his 150-kg captive bear to the provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department for the sake of the wild animal.

>> Vietnam to have first-ever national wildlife park by 2025 >> Police rescue 500 wild animals in Vietnam hub   The bear’s owner, Phan Thanh Dai, said he bought the animal in 1999 for extracting its bile. At that time, the bear weighed only 5kg, Dai said. After 15 years of being raised in the captive environment, the bear now weighs about 150kg, he said. The sub-department coordinated with the Asia Animal Foundation, a Hanoi-based animal welfare group, in transporting the bear to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center on Tuesday. The animal is rather fierce and rescuers found it hard to approach it, Dai said. “After knowing that the state encourages people to offer their captive bears to competent agencies for better care, I decided to hand over my bear to the forest protection sub-department to seek the best conditions for it.” Dai also affirmed that he has claimed no compensation from the sub-department for his handover. For safety reasons, the bear was anaesthetized before being transported and it was given medical care during the transportation, veterinary doctors from the Asia Animal Foundation said.  “This is the second bear that has been offered by residents to the state and the fifth that has been rescued by the Asia Animal Foundation,” Dr. Tuan Bendixsen, chief representative of the Asia Animal Foundation in Vietnam, said. “We are ready to take care of the bear for all its life.” The bear is expected to arrive at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center at Tam Dao National Park in northern Vinh Phuc Province on Friday, Dr. Bendixsen said.

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