For bears rescued from bile farms, learning to trust other bears is a huge step - their ability to build faith is amazing.

Trapped for no reason, kept in solitary confinement, subjected to torturous extraction – this is the fate of bile farm bears.

They have no idea why they are being subjected to these terrors, making the psychological trauma as serious as the damage to their ravaged bodies.

Once rescued, the task of moving beyond despair, distrust and fear begins. Most of these bears have been unable to perform any of their natural instincts, and the agony of bile extraction was faced alone. To them, other bears are just as alien as the humans who caged them.

Amazingly, it’s a situation that the bears, with the helps of their carers at Animals Asia’s sanctuaries, can turnaround. They learn to be bears again and most incredibly of all they learn to trust – starting with each other.

There is no greater example of this than the playful wrestling we see at our sanctuaries every single day.

Animals Asia Vietnam Bear and Vet Team Director, Heidi Quine said:

“Bears are incredibly powerful animals and aggression could have serious consequences. But the wrestling we see day in day out is pure play. They are testing their strength, exercising and bonding with each other. It is certainly a huge leap of faith for them to do this, but almost without exception, rescued bears will learn to trust each other and wrestle gently.”

For those lucky enough to visit the sanctuaries and see the bears playing in this way, wrestling is an incredible spectacle to behold. Whether on the grass, in the pool, on a hammock or on a swing, the bears will gently push, pull, tussle and chew at each other in a beautiful example of trust returning after pain ends.

BACK