Our Work

Vietnam Bear Sanctuary, Bach Ma

 
Phase One of our new sanctuary was completed in 2023 and includes:

  • A dedicated quarantine area for new bear arrivals to protect resident bears from illness or infection and to allow us to assess and treat any conditions the new bears might have.
  • Two double bear houses with a total of 34 dens that can take 120 bears (four enclosures in total). We call them double bear houses because in essence they’re two bear houses with two separate groups of bears. Double bear houses have two parallel rows of dens with a common corridor from which we can access the dens. They open either side to large outdoor enclosures with trees, swimming pools and climbing structures.
  • Vital infrastructure like power lines, roads, fences, lighting and drainage.
  • A specialist bear kitchen, where we’ll prepare nutritious meals, many tailored to the needs of special-care bears.
  • A state-of-the-art veterinary hospital to provide our broken bears with world-class care and recovery.

Phase Two is due for completion by 2025/2026 with construction starting in early 2025. This second phase will include:

  • A third double bear house with two more outdoor enclosures due for completion in Q1 2025. This will have 17 more dens and, when completed, we’ll be ready to house the bears we plan to rescue over the next couple of years.
  • An education building, essential to our long-term strategy of changing hearts and minds.
  • Maintenance/Horticulture workshop.
  • Public bathrooms.
  • Parking.
  • More infrastructure. 

Phase Three, including a fourth double bear house, may or may not be built, depending on:

  • The availability of funds.
  • Management of the rescued bears (for instance, some might need part of an enclosure all to themselves if they’re not ready to be integrated with other bears, while others might need separate areas because of mobility issues).
  • The number of bears left on farms when our three existing bear houses are filling up. The official number of remaining bile bears is now around 250, but sadly bears are dying on the farms.

Province by province

And farm by farm – together, we’re ending bear bile farming in Vietnam.

Twenty-five years ago, 48 out of 63 provinces and municipalities in Vietnam had bile farms. Today, there are just 17 (with around 90 farms). 

The end is in sight!

Our shared dream of ending bear bile farming in Vietnam is fast becoming a reality. Thanks to your loyalty, your faith and your endless kindness, our Bach Ma sanctuary opened in 2023 and Armstrong, Buzz and Apollo were the first bears to call our Bach Ma Bear Rescue Centre home. 


Thank you from every one of the almost 300 bears rescued so far in Vietnam and from the remaining 250 bile bears we’re preparing to bring home. Together, we’ll turn all of this beautiful country green!