Moon bear Binh Minh was held on a bear bile farm and unable to lie down as the floor of his cage had shattered leaving him perched on twisted metal.

Last November, an Animals Asia’s rescue team freed Binh Minh from one of the worst cages they had ever seen.

During the decade in which Binh Minh was trapped and his bile extracted for traditional medicine, the floor of the metal cage had collapsed.

But instead of moving Binh Minh to a new one, the farmer simply put another layer of bars over the top – leaving poor Binh Minh to subsist on a bed of sharp, shattered metal.

It’s unknown how long Binh Minh endured these conditions, but when he was finally released, even the transport cage which took him 1,000 km to Animals Asia’s sanctuary, must have felt like paradise.

At last Binh Minh could lie down and sleep. Such a simple need, so cruelly denied for so long.

Binh Minh – who’s name means “dawn” or “sunrise” – was given plenty of leaves to help stay comfortable through the night, but even then he couldn’t have imagined what was to come.

Today, Binh Minh is free to explore a grassy enclosure full of tastes, sounds and most importantly, soft places to lie down and relax.

And finally, he is no longer alone. On the farm in Vietnam’s Gia Lai province he was kept in solitary confinement unable to play, touch or see other bears.

Today, he has fellow rescued bear friends Dau Phu, Kane and Sunny to spend the spring days with.

Animals Asia Bear Manager Sarah van Herpt said:

“Binh Minh’s playful character has really come to the fore since he was introduced to the other bears. While Dau Phu remains quite nervous of her new friends and environment, Binh Minh is confidently exploring and spending time with his friends – particularly Sunny.

“He’s an extremely easy-going bear and because his right forepaw is missing – no doubt caught in a hunter’s snare – he is quite slow to move around so probably less threatening for the other bears.”

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