JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

​Bears raised for bile in Vietnam get second chance at life

​Bears raised for bile in Vietnam get second chance at life

Sunday, October 08, 2017, 16:00 GMT+7
​Bears raised for bile in Vietnam get second chance at life
A moon bear is kept in a cage at a bile bear facility in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Around ten years ago, bear bile became a hunted-for item on the black market in Vietnam due to its rumored medicinal properties.

The craze for the digestive fluid – produced by the liver and stored in the bear’s gallbladder – led to the mushrooming of bile bear farms across Vietnam, many of which were household facilities with poor hygiene and upkeep.

The plunge in bile prizes a few years later meant thousands of such bears have since faced deteriorating living conditions and been left to starve in their cages, or even killed for their meat, teeth, claws and skin.

A moon bear is kept in a cage at a bile bear facility in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A moon bear is kept in a cage at a bile bear facility in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Since then, the arduous fight to rescue bile bears in Vietnam has been going on with the support of international non-governmental wildlife protection organizations.

Bear sanctuaries, such as one in Tam Dao District in Vinh Phuc Province, have sprung up to accommodate the increasing number of bears being rescued from their captivity.

“The hotline of Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary is available 24/7, and animal protectors are ready to respond at any time to reports of bears that need rescuing no matter how far away they are, for we know that any second of delay could spell death for these animals,” said Dr. Tuan Bendixsen, country director of Animals Asia in Vietnam.

Animals Asia Foundation is a Hong Kong-based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia.

As of early 2015, there were only a few hundred wild bears left in Vietnam, while 1,245 were held in captivity at 430 facilities across the country, according to reports by Vietnam’s Forest Protection Department.

Their bile is harvested using several invasive techniques that may leave a permanent fistula. Many have died due to stress or infection from the unskilled surgeries.

Some bears are permanently disabled at the time of rescue, and can never be released into the wild again.

Two experts from the FOUR PAWS wildlife protection organization inspect a captive moon bear in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Two experts from the FOUR PAWS wildlife protection organization inspect a captive moon bear in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A captive moon bear is fed through the gaps of a cage. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A captive moon bear is fed through the gaps of a cage. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Experts from the FOUR PAWS wildlife protection organization negotiate with the facility owner (L) to have the bears released. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Experts from the FOUR PAWS wildlife protection organization negotiate with the facility owner (L) to have the bears released. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Veterinarians examine the condition of a bear after it is released from captivity. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Veterinarians examine the condition of a bear after it is released from captivity. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A rescued bear is loaded onto a truck to be transported to a sanctuary. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A rescued bear is loaded onto a truck to be transported to a sanctuary. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A bear plays with a swing at Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary in Vinh Phuc Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A bear plays with a swing at Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary in Vinh Phuc Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A wildlife sanctuary is being built in Ninh Binh Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre
A wildlife sanctuary is being built in Ninh Binh Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

TUOI TRE NEWS

More

Read more

;

Photos

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Vietnam’s Mekong Delta celebrates spring with ‘hat boi’ performances

The art form is so popular that it attracts people from all ages in the Mekong Delta

Vietnamese youngster travels back in time with clay miniatures

Each work is a scene caught by Dung and kept in his memories through his journeys across Vietnam

Latest news