The rescue Tuesday raised the number of bears released from captivity by the Hong Kong-based animal welfare organization in Vietnam to 200 in the last 11 years. The animal, weighing over 200 kilograms (440 pounds), was held captive in an iron cage and lived in abysmal conditions in a backyard. The farmer who had held it for the last 17 years earlier informed Animals Asia about his desire to hand it over. Volunteers from the organization used a blowdart to anesthetize the bear and doctors carried out a general heath check, finding the animal was suffering from tooth decay, gall bladder damage and obesity. It has been moved to a bear rescue center in Tam Dao, around six hours from Cao Bang, where it is expected to be isolated for 45 days before being released into a semi-natural environment. Vietnam banned commercial bear bile extraction in 2005, but more than a decade later it remains a problem. Animals Asia has signed an agreement with the Vietnam Administration of Forestry to shut down all bear bile farms in the country and free the remaining 800 bears in captivity by 2022. The agreement is expected to finally close the loophole, committing the Vietnamese government to ensuring no bears are allowed to be kept by private households. Tuan Bendixsen, Animals Asia’s Vietnam director, told VnExpress International there are still some people keeping bears for their bile and who have refused to release them. However, there have been positive signs in recent years with… [Read full story]
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