These rescued bears were fearful, angry and in pain when rescued from a bile farm – now they know their hurt is over.

When moon bears Poe, Ivy, Cranberry, Snow, Bi Xanh and Winter were rescued in December by Animals Asia, they had no way of knowing that their tragic pasts were now behind them.

On the long, 1,500km journey to their new home, each one was fearful, angry and upset – no doubt fully expectant that their next destination would be equally as horrific as the nightmares they had previously endured on a bile farm.

But two months on, all six have cleared quarantine and moved into spacious dens filled with treats, beds, structures and toys to keep them stimulated and healthy.

They have logs and stones to play with, leafy browse to nest with, puzzle feeders to keep them mentally alert and bear-proof ball toys to keep them entertained.

Most importantly of all, for the first time in their lives they are being fed a healthy diet and are free from pain thanks to a variety of pain relieving surgeries.

Currently still kept on their own – the next move will be the start of a slow integration with other bears. It’s a step that can only be taken when their carers believe they are physically and mentally ready.

But in the meantime their adjacent dens mean they can start to build friendship through bars and gain comfort along the way.

READ: The five steps from bile farm to freedom.

Part of that is learning to trust their carers and their fellow bears. Understanding that their torment is over means they can enjoy life again without fear or aggression.

Animals Asia Bear Manager Louise Ellis, who overseas the team caring for the bears, said:

“They are all much calmer than they were on the rescue and we aren’t seeing as much aggression as we did. We work on building trust with them each individually and each one has improved hugely over the last few weeks since they moved to the dens. They need to understand that they are loved now and that the pain they have suffered for so long is over.

“Cranberry really stands out among the group. She is a lovely bear who was so scared and nervous during the rescue she was nicknamed ‘cranky Cranberry’. Only now are we starting to realise that moniker isn’t really deserved.

“Cranberry is noticeably calmer now that she is used to the den. When we were transferring her from quarantine she was very reluctant to go back into a transport cage but now trusts her carers enough to be weighed and she is responding to calls to come to the front of the den to take a treat. I think it’s finally starting to sink in that she’s safe at last.

“Some of the bears have even been playing with each other through adjacent dens and sharing toys which is a promising sign, not only that they are becoming more comfortable and relaxed, but also that they may be integrated with each other in the future.”

“Bundle of energy Bi Xanh is a bear we think will integrate really well and we’ve already seen signs that he may get on well with his neighbour Winter. Bi Xanh is an extremely lively and playful bear who loves the spinning bamboo feeder in his den, while Winter is very laid back, but in this case opposites seem to be attracting.”

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