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Animals Asia Rescue Frees Bears Who Spent 21 Years Trapped On A Bile Farm
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Animals Asia Rescue Frees Bears Who Spent 21 Years Trapped On A Bile Farm

August 29, 2018
Animals Asia Rescue Frees Bears Who Spent 21 Years Trapped On A Bile Farm

On Monday, international NGO Animals Asia’s skilled rescue team cut through the rusty cages of five moon bears, who had been held on a cruel bile farm for 21 years, delivering them to freedom. The bears are now on their way to the organization’s expansive and lush sanctuary in Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam.

The team arrived in the small southern town of My Tho on Monday morning to rescue the five moon bears. The bears have now been given names for the first time in their lives: LeBON, Kim, Mai, Star, and Mekong.

LeBON bear immediately before his rescue by the Animals Asia team.
LeBON bear immediately before his rescue by the Animals Asia team.

Twenty years ago this month, the global nonprofit Animals Asia was founded by Jill Robinson, with a mission to end bear bile farming. The incredibly cruel industry sees bears (mostly moon bears, but also sun bears and brown bears) in Asia held in tiny cages with their abdomens crudely penetrated to extract bile, used in traditional medicine. Moon bears are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, and categorized as endangered by CITES.

Cages that were never meant to be opened are cut by Animals Asia.
Cages that were never meant to be opened are cut by Animals Asia.

In 2017 Animals Asia signed a groundbreaking memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese government, partnering with them to relocate the approximately 800 bears who remain on farms in the country to sanctuaries.

Animals Asia Senior Veterinarian Mandala Hunter performs a health check on Kim bear.
Animals Asia Senior Veterinarian Mandala Hunter performs a health check on Kim bear.

This week’s #FiveAlive rescue is part of the massive endeavor by Animals Asia to remove these bears from egregious conditions on farms, and see them transferred to safe homes where they will receive the care they deserve.

Animals Asia removed Star bear from this rusty cage. The bears are now on their way to the organization’s sanctuary in Vietnam.
Animals Asia removed Star bear from this rusty cage. The bears are now on their way to the organization’s sanctuary in Vietnam.

The rescue is being reported in real time on Animals Asia’s social media, and below:

Once removed from their cages, after more than two decades of incarceration, Animals Asia immediately assessed their health, addressing any urgent medical concerns.

LeBON, Mekong, Kim, Mai, and Star are now in the midst of a 1,700km/1,050 mile journey by truck to their new home at Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre in picturesque Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam.

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We know that in more than 20 years of cruel incarceration, LeBON, Star, Mai, Mekong, and Kim have never had proper nutrition or medical care. They have known only rusty cages and a life of suffering. They were viewed as commodities, and not treated as individuals. At the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre they will finally experience freedom, play in grassy enclosures, forage for food, and have the chance to behave like real bears.”

Animals Asia Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:

“We eagerly await LeBON, Kim, Mekong, Star, and Mai’s arrival at their new home at Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. They will never suffer behind bars again. This is an important step in our work to remove all of the bears who remain on farms in Vietnam from their cages, and bring them to sanctuary. It is a new day for these innocent bears who will now finally enjoy some of the freedoms they were denied so long ago.”