Vietnam: Bile bears die just before their rescue

Vietnam, 1 March 2019 – They were forced to endure years of horrific suffering as bile bears on a Vietnamese farm in the Xuan Loc district (Dong Nai province), and their rescue was so close. But just before the international animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS could bring the four bears to its bear sanctuary BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh, the animals died under circumstances that remain unexplained.

The bears’ owner had agreed to voluntarily surrender the animals to FOUR PAWS. However, when FOUR PAWS staff visited his farm the week before last to assess the animals’ fitness for transport in the presence of local authorities ahead of the planned rescue, they found one female bear dead. Her gallbladder and liver had already been removed. These fetch enormous sums on the black market. The three other farm bears also died shortly afterwards during the same week. Their rescue had been scheduled for the following week.

Although the Vietnamese government has repeatedly announced the closure of bile bear farms, an estimated 800 animals are still suffering on approximately 250 bear farms under appalling conditions: they are malnourished, dehydrated, neglected, and at risk of being killed by their owners. The illegal sale of organs such as the gallbladder or liver brings in quick money. In the study «The challenges and conservation implications of bear bile farming in Vietnam», the organisation Free The Bears surveyed 66 bear farmers. Half of them stated that, in the event of a farm closure, they would not hesitate to kill the animals. More on this topic at Animal rights.

Animals dying in cages despite the availability of species-appropriate housing

Despite existing laws, such terrible incidents as the one in Xuan Loc district unfortunately often go without consequences for the farmers. We call on the government to act and put an immediate end to the dying of bears. It is high time! Bears are dying in their cages, even though species-appropriate housing options exist for them. We therefore appeal to the Vietnamese government to vigorously push forward the closure of bear farms.

Ioana Dungler, Head of the Wildlife Department at FOUR PAWS

This coming Thursday, FOUR PAWS will officially open the BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh in Vietnam. The new bear sanctuary, located in Ninh Binh Province, will cover an area of 10 hectares and, once all construction work is complete, will provide a total of 100 mistreated bile bears with a species-appropriate and peaceful life in nature-like enclosures. Ten former bile bears and two bear cubs rescued from illegal wildlife trade are already living there. The BEAR SANCTUARY, built to the latest husbandry standards and equipped with its own animal clinic, two bear houses, a quarantine station, and four outdoor enclosures, currently has 32 places available, and by the end of the year more than 70 animals in total could find a wonderful home there.

The trade in bear bile flourishes despite alternatives

Bear bile has been considered a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine for several thousand years and is used to treat eye diseases, haematomas, digestive complaints, and other ailments. Although its effectiveness is doubted even by renowned experts in traditional Chinese medicine, and significantly better herbal and synthetic alternatives exist, it remains a sought-after product in many Asian countries to this day. While the possession, sale, and consumption of bear bile has been banned in Vietnam since 2005, the keeping of the animals is still permitted. Many bears continue to have their bile illegally extracted, and the illegal trade in bear bile thrives on Vietnam's streets, in TCM shops, on bile bear farms, and online. Why such practices constitute an animal welfare problem is explained in the dossier of the same name.