16 years of horror set to end for moon bear trapped on a bear bile farm in Vietnam as rescue team arrives to free her.

An Animals Asia rescue team is in Cao Bang province, Vietnam today (Tuesday 23 October) to rescue a female moon bear from a bear bile farm.

The bear, who does not yet have a name, is believed to be around 16 years old and has spent her life trapped in isolation so her bile could be extracted for traditional medicine.

The bear is the 200th bear to be rescued by Animals Asia in Vietnam since 2007.

Animals Asia Vietnam Director Tuan Bendixsen said:

“Over the last 11 years, we’ve saved 199 bears from the extreme cruelty of bear bile farming in Vietnam. Yet for all that experience, every rescue is unpredictable, and every bear is an individual who will react differently. Today we free the 200th bear and it feels every bit as vital as the first.”

Images provided by the Cao Bang Forest Protection Department show the moon bear is being held in a metal cage approximately four square metres. The cage is devoid of any natural materials or sunlight and the floor is comprised of uncomfortable rounded metal bars.

Once the bear is cut free of her cage, she will be transported by road to Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre in Vinh Phuc province. The journey of around 300 kilometres is expected to take around six hours with the team arriving late on Tuesday evening.

The rescue of the long-suffering bear is being entirely funded by individual supporters around the world chipping in what they can to remove the bear from cruelty and give her the health care and new life she deserves.

All those who donate will be able to suggest a name for the bear to symbolise her newly recognised individuality.

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

“All her life, this bear has been denied her individuality. She has been a commodity, a breathing cash machine to serve the farmer and his family. But that ends today. She will have a name, she will have choices, she will be allowed to pursue her interests, and her needs will come first.”

Bear bile farming has been specifically illegal in Vietnam since 2005, when every bear in captivity was microchipped. However, without facilities to hold the over 4,000 bears on farms at the time, owners were permitted to keep their bears and the practice was able to persist.

However, in 2017, the government signed a landmark agreement with Animals Asia that will see every farm closed and the remaining 800 bears sent to sanctuaries by 2022 as the country works to eradicate the cruel trade.

In August, Animals Asia successfully rescued five moon bears from a farm in the far southern province of Tien Giang, while last month they rescued a single moon bear called Sky from a farm in the mountains of Lao Cai province.

Having exposed and opposed bear bile farming since 1998, Animals Asia has rescued over 600 bears in Vietnam and China. Today, nearly 200 bears continue to live cruelty-free lives at Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre, while a further 192 are cared for by the charity in China.

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