Major tiger farmer sentenced to imprisonment

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photonquantique/5204762635/

The world has been turned upside down on long-time suspected tiger trader Huynh Van Hai, owner of the Than Canh Tourism Park in Binh Duong province. Hai was sentenced on March 10 to three years in prison for selling tigers out the back door of his park, fourteen other people linked to Hai’s illegal activities, including his son, received sentences ranging from 18 months’ probation to 30 months in prison. In addition to imprisonment, Hai and two other subjects were fined more than VND 1.4 billion (about USD 70,000.00).

The Thanh Canh Tourism Park is one of eight private zoos and establishments in Vietnam that keep tigers. In 2010, a major investigation carried out by ENV found that the Thanh Canh Tourism Park was suspected of involvement in the illegal trade of tigers born at the park. Suspicions were based on inconsistencies in records maintained by the park and observations during regular inspections carried out by ENV and police.

“ENV wishes to congratulate the Binh Duong authorities, and in particular, the Binh Duong Police forpursuing this investigation that led to the prosecution of Mr. Hai and the other suspects involved in this case,“ says Tran Viet Hung, Vice Director of ENV. “This is a huge step forward in our collective efforts to end illegal trade of tigers in Vietnam. Binh Duong authorities are sending a strong message to other tiger farmers that may be engaged in similar illegal activities they too may see the inside of a prison cell if they do not obey the law.”

ENV’s 2010 investigation also indicated that at least two other major tiger farmers in Vietnam were involved in illegally trading live tigers or selling off the remains of tigers that had reportedly died on their farms. The Thanh Canh Tourism Park and four other private establishments keeping tigers in Vietnamare known to have obtained their original tigers illegally from the trade.

“It is time to end illegal tiger trade in Vietnam by expanding and intensifying enforcement efforts targeting major kingpins in the trade and putting these people in jail,” said Hung. Hung went on to suggest that authorities expand their focus to investigate other major tiger traders that are suspected of either raising and selling tigers from their farms or smuggling tigers into Vietnam from Laos and other countries.

Hung noted that efforts must also focus on reducing consumer demand for tiger bone glue, a form of traditional medicine made by boiling down tiger bones that is used to treat arthritis and strengthen bones.

“The myths surrounding use of tiger bone glue as a magic medicine persist amongst older generations of some Vietnamese. However, modern medicine and science are gaining ground amongst younger generations and this will show people that using tiger bone glue is a waste of their money, while more effective treatment is readily available through consultation with professional medical services.”

The Thanh Canh Tourism Park, which is currently closed to business, also keeps tens of bears which are used to extract bile for foreign and domestic visitors, according to staff of the park. Dozens of other animals are also kept at the park to entertain visitors and a restaurant located in the park center offers a range of wildlife dishes. According to ENV investigators who visited the site in February 2011, some of the tigers at the tourism park appeared to be malnourished and in poor condition.

News of Hai’s sentencing by Binh Duong courts, and others involved in the Binh Duong case, were cause for celebration at ENV which has worked long hours to expose illegal activities of tiger farmers and traders in Vietnam. “We feel that Binh Duong authorities have taken a vital first step in ending illegal farming and trade of tigers in Vietnam,” says ENV Founder Vu Thi Quyen. “Let us see how this case can influence other provinces to get tough on criminals involved in illegal trade of tigers and other endangered wildlife.We will not rest until the people behind this dirty tiger trade business are in jail, and not a moment sooner" says Quyen,

Background: Ending tiger farming and trade in Vietnam

Perhaps no other species has received as much attention and support as tigers, with hundreds of millions of dollars spent on their conservation, yet, governments and their conservation counterparts continue to document decline across the range of the species. Vietnam has seen its share of tiger dollars too over the years, but embarrassingly, most experts agree (including international NGOs which have been the recipients of much of these funds) that tigers are all but gone from the wild here, with a few animals perhaps living along the borders of the north and central regions of the country.

Following the 2007 discovery of approximately 60 illegal tigers being kept privately by businessmen, ENV embarked on a program aimed at arresting the growth and development of the tiger trade in Vietnam.

ENV’s tiger strategy focuses on three components:

• Strengthening law and policy in relation to the protection of tigers and closure of tiger farms by working with key decision-makers at the central and provincial level

• Strengthening enforcement through promotion and support of the work of law enforcement agencies in investigating and combating illegal tiger trade, as well as monitoring existing tiger farming operations

• Raising public awareness to encourage greater public support in reporting crimes involving tigers and reducing demand and consumption of tiger products

This new program began with a major investigation of tiger farming and trade in Vietnam, the first such in- depth look at the illegal trade and the inner workings of tiger farms in this country, working in close partnership with law enforcement agencies at the provincial and national level. A year later, a confidential investigation report was produced highlighting the initial results of the year-long investigation. Amongst the findings were direct links between some tiger farms and commercial trade,as well as identifying a number of key figures in the tiger trade, and components of the trade network that smuggles tigers in from Laos to Vietnam on a regular basis.

Tiger Intelligence File
• Tiger farming: There are 100 known tigers in captivity in Vietnam. 81 are kept on eight private farms,the remaining tigers are at government-supported zoos and rescue centers (ENV March 2011).

• Since 2005, there have been 24 reported seizures of frozen, whole or cut up, tigers, tiger bones, or in one case, live tigers. A total of 41 tigers have been confiscated from these seizures (March 2011).

• ENV has documented a total of 134 tiger cases since 2005 including mounted tigers and all forms ofproducts and parts, as well as advertising of tiger products (ENV Database November 2010).

• At least three tiger farms are reported to be involved in commercial trade of tigers raised on these farms in direct violation of the law. Evidence is lacking from other farms, but tigers known to have died at these farms have been processed to make tiger bone TCM.

• Most tigers smuggled into Vietnam are sold to Vietnamese consumers, not smuggled into China.

• The ENV investigation resulted in the identification of a list of major criminals involved in illegal tigertrade and smuggling into Vietnam, including several key figures suspected to be major players behind much of the illegal tiger trade into Vietnam.

• Tiger bone glue is the primary tiger product in demand by Vietnamese consumers. It is made fromtiger bone mixed with the bones from other species, and sold at roughly $900-$1200 per 100 grams.

• The cost of raising a tiger in captivity to an age that it can be sold is approximately $3,455 USD. The value of this same tiger sold in the form of tiger bone TCM is approximately $20,000 USD (2010). **Based prices and estimates provided by tiger farmers and tiger bone TCM brokers (2010).

ReferenceENV’s Summary of Tiger trade investigation findings http://envietnam.org/library/Resource%20and%20Publication/Tiger%20summary%20%28ENfinal;%2013%20March%202010%29.pdf

***

For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit

 Zoo News Digest on

FACEBOOK

Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting

The Zoo Hubs

and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine

by clicking

HERE

***

For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit

The Zoo Professionals Book Store

WSPA Partner provokes Vietnamese crackdown on bear farms

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soggydan/4572169245/

WSPA Partner provokes Vietnamese crackdown on bear farms

The Vietnamese government has announced a crackdown on illegal bear bile tourism, following reports of bile extraction for tourists by WSPA’s local member society, Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV). (Footnotes 1 and 2)

In a communication sent out this week, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism spelled out that tour companies engaged in so-called bear bile tourism risk losing their business licences. The letter was sent out nationwide following ENV’s expose last month of bear owners in the touristic province of Quang Ninh who continue to extract bear bile – much of which is bought by Korean tourists. (Footnote 3)

“This is fantastic news and clearly demonstrates that the government of Vietnam sees the damage bear farming is causing their tourist industry. We urge the authorities to now step up their efforts to ensure an end to the farming of thousands of bears across the country for their bile," said Dave Eastham WSPA Captive Bears Campaign Leader.

According to the Government’s communication, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) requires that: “All the provincial Departments of Sports, Culture and Tourism are to promote awareness raising activities and the responsibilities of businesses in protecting wild animals. They are to seriously implement the recommendations from international communities and national agencies involved in wildlife protection and are to cooperate with the authorities to treat all violations in accordance with the law.”

The VNAT then states that the same departments are “to prohibit all travel companies that organise tours that take tourists to bear farms where bears are illegally kept and bear bile is extracted. For a serious violation, VNAT will consider withdrawing the company’s International Travel Business License”.The document also warns that the bear bile industry “negatively influences the friendly and attractive image of the country and people of Vietnam and also harms the healthy and sustainable content of activities of local tourism”.

Tran Viet Hung, ENV Vice Director from ENV said “Authorities have been aware of illegal bear bile tourism for a long time, but it has taken an article to be published and put into public view for them to take action. We welcome the stern words from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and expect to see prosecutions of the very visible perpetrators of this illegal industry.”

WSPA and ENV, together with NGOs Free the Bears and Animals Asia Foundation, jointly lobby as the Vietnam Bear Task Force to prevent illegal bear bile tourism in Vietnam. Outlawed bear bile is still widely available in the country, where approximately 3,000 bears, almost all stolen from the wild, continue to be kept under terrible conditions in bear ‘farms’, also prohibited by Vietnamese law since 2005.

Bile is regularly extracted from the bears’ gall bladders with a syringe, causing the animals to suffer. Bear bile is used in traditional medicine and as a status symbol. The bears are kept in tiny, barren cages, often with no space to stand or move, for the duration of their lifetime of as long as 20 years. Vietnam is a member of the United Nations’ Convention on International Trade in Endangered Speciesof Wild Flora and Fauna CITES, committing it to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. The Asiatic black bear is most commonly used in bile extraction and is listed in the appendix of CITES.

Additionally, under the Vietnamese Government’s Decree 32/2006, bears are listed as an endangered species and owning and selling bears or their by-products is illegal.


World Society for the Protection of Animals

Despite herbal alternatives being available, bear bile continues to be used in some Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) to treat conditions such as reducing fever, protecting the liver, improvement of eyesight, breaking down gallstones, and as an anti-inflammatory. TAM experts around the world agree that bear bile is completely replaceable. Surveys of global TAM practitioners by WSPA and others have shown that there are more than 50 herbal alternatives to bear bile as a medicine, as well as synthetically-produced alternatives.

Vietnam’s most profitable tourist resort of Ha Long City in north-eastern Quang Ninh Province continuesto be one of the most popular destinations for Korean tourists to witness extractions and purchase bile to illegally transport back to Korea. WSPA hopes this crackdown will signal an end to such businesses.

A short video clip of bear bile extraction on a Vietnamese bear farm is available to view at: http://www.envietnam.org/videos/quang-ninh.html 

1  . The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare organisations, currently representing more than 1000 member societies in over 150 countries. WSPAstrives to create a world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty ends. WSPA brings about change at both grassroots and governmental levels to benefit animals and has consultative status at the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

2. Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) was established in 2000 as Vietnam’s first non-governmentalorganization focused on the conservation of nature and the environment. Its mission is to foster greaterunderstanding amongst the Vietnamese public about environmental issues of local, national and globalsignificance, ranging from the protection of wildlife and natural ecosystems to climate change.

3. ENV’s article is available at https://www.yousendit.com/download/eURDRm82UEN5UkZFQlE9PQ

***

For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit

 Zoo News Digest on

FACEBOOK

Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting

The Zoo Hubs

and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine

by clicking

HERE

***

For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit

The Zoo Professionals Book Store

Poor tiger criminals

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38767619@N05/3580319652/

In November an interesting case was put forward involving two dead tigers in a freezer at a tiger farm in Thanh Hoa province. The owner of the farm is the same “farmer” that
has been linked to several major seizures of frozen tigers in Hanoi in recent years, and is also the same man who has been arrested once before trying to smuggle wildlife from Tanzania. It should be further noted that this farmer obtained all of his original tigers illegally from the trade in direct violation of the law.

However, the Thanh Hoa tiger farmer appears to have gained the sympathy of provincial authorities according to interviews in the press. Rather than simply applying the law, authorities reportedly ponder whether the “poor farmer” should be compensated for his dead tigers.

Are we expected to feel sorry for the rich illegal tiger farmer (businessman) for the expenses he has incurred raising tigers that he should not have in the first place? Would not selling tigers or their parts violate the ban on the commercial trade of fully protected species like tigers?

In fact, such a sale would violate the law and would undermine Vietnam's international commitment to protect tigers, reinforced during the November tiger summit in St. Petersburg, where range state leaders and senior government officials met and reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the world's last tigers.

ENV joins most of the Vietnamese law enforcement community in strictly opposing the sale of tigers, their parts and products, whether confiscated from trade or originating at farms. Opening the door to commercial trade of tigers and their products will undermine law enforcement efforts, and permit people like the Thanh Hoa tiger farmer to generate income from both his captive tigers and those potentially smuggled through his farm into the trade.

Back in 2007, two dead tigers discovered at this same Thanh Hoa farm were publicly incinerated following a decision by provincial authorities. The incineration of the remains of these tigers eliminated any possibility of the farmer profiting from the death of his tigers.

More recently in Nghe An, provincial authorities demonstrated leadership in efforts to stop illegal tiger trade in a case involving the confiscation of one frozen tiger, tiger


To read the rest of this report from the "Education for Nature - Vietnam" along with other interesting articles please click HERE

***

For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit

The Zoo Professionals Book Store

***

For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit

 Zoo News Digest on

FACEBOOK

Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting

The Zoo Hubs

and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine

by clicking

HERE

'No Mirrors Involved'

Snow Leopards

Photo supplied by Peter Litherland of the

Welsh Mountain Zoo

 

New PSA: Bear bile is not a magic medicine

Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) has launched a new public service announcement (PSA) urging the public not to use bear bile.

The 36-second PSA which will air on national and provincial television in early 2011 features a young boy scraping his knee while playing with his little sister. The boy’s grandmother immediately suggests that bear bile be used to treat the injury and prevent bruising. However, the boy’s mother intervenes, discarding the idea and telling her elder and the public that bear bile is not a “magic medicine”. She goes on to suggest that people should seek professional medical care when treating sickness or injury, not use bear bile.

The PSA is the 6th produced by ENV in recent years as part of efforts to reduce consumption of bear bile.

Link to PSA:
http://thiennhien.org/index.php?page=documentView&parent=172&id=167

The findings of ENV’s recent study show that 22% of Vietnamese people have used bear bile in the past, and 72.5% of bear bile consumers use bear bile with the intention of treating a specific health problem such as bruising, muscle complaints, digestive problems and arthritis.

According to the ENV study, more than half of the users who quit using bear bile did so because they felt that it was ineffective. Some doctors have also recently suggested that there may be serious potential health risks linked to using bear bile.

“Use of bear bile threatens the future of our bears,” says Mr. Tran Viet Hung, ENV’s Communication and Public Awareness manager, “ENV seeks to dispel traditional beliefs that bear bile is some form of miracle drug.”

Hung goes on to say, “Seeing a doctor is the best solution whenever a person is faced with a health concern, not only for the sake of human health, but also for the sake of protecting Vietnam’s bears.”

Bears are listed under Group IB of Decree 32/ND-CP/2006 prohibiting commercial exploitation of live animals or their parts and derivatives. Vietnam is home to two species of bears, the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Both species are being pushed to the edge of extinction, mainly due to the illegal hunting and trade to support the demand for bear gall bladders and bile used as a traditional form of medicine. Asiatic black bears are usually captured as cubs in the wild and sold to bear farms where they are raised and used to extract bile from the gall bladder. Currently, there are about 3,500 bears in farms in Vietnam , most of which originated from the wild.

ENV wishes to thank the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for their generous support in efforts to bring an end to the exploitation and trade of bears.

For more information, please contact:

Communication and Public Awareness Department
Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)
No 5, IF 1, Lane 192, Thai Thinh street, Dong Da dist.
Ha Noi , Viet Nam
Tel/Fax: +84 4 35148850

Email: communication.env@gmail.com
communication.env@fpt.vn


Additional reference:
Bear webpage: http://thiennhien.org/CDBVG/index.php

***

For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit

The Zoo Professionals Book Store

***

For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit

 Zoo News Digest on

FACEBOOK

Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting

The Zoo Hubs

and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine

by clicking

HERE

'No Mirrors Involved'

Snow Leopards

Photo supplied by Peter Litherland of the

Welsh Mountain Zoo

 

To advertise on Zoo News Digest please click

HERE 

Quang Ninh illegal bear tourism: Flagrant disregard of the law

Quang Ninh illegal bear tourism: Flagrant disregard of the law

Photo by: Jonas Livet

http://www.leszoosdanslemonde.com/

Ha Noi, 15 December 2010 – Recent investigation by a Korean TV station and surveillance by ENV investigators revealed that Ha Long bear farmers continue to engage in illegal exploitation and trade of bear bile, targeting Korean tour groups. This activity shows that bear bile business owners in Quang Ninh demonstrate no respect for the law, further undermining efforts by relevant authorities in dealing with illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam .

Over the past few years, bear farm tourism in Ha Long City has attracted a great deal of publicity. This illegal activity involves hundreds of Korean and other Asian tour groups visiting the farms each week, where they witness the extraction of bile from captive bears, taste bear bile wine, and buy bear bile and other bear products, which are then smuggled out of Vietnam when they leave the country in direct violation of the law.

Bears are listed under Group IB of Decree 32/ND-CP/2006 meaning the possession or sale of bears or products made from bears is illegal. Foreign tourists that purchase bear products and transport them across international borders are in violation of Vietnam ’s international treaty obligations under CITES regulations.

ENV has been working to put an end to this illegal practice since 2007 when the bear bile tourism business in Quang Ninh was first discovered. Surveillance by ENV investigators has concluded that these business establishments receive dozens of buses full of Korean tourists each week. Most recently, in November 2010 after a Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) film was aired in Korea, field investigators observed Korean tour groups still entering Quang Ninh farms, confirming that it is “business as usual” for bear bile businessmen in Quang Ninh.

A news segment filmed in October 2010 by KBS Television shows Korean tourists visiting a farm and bile being extracted from a bear. Tourists are then shown purchasing bear bile to take back to Korea .

In October 2009, Environmental Police raided the Viet Thai Tourism bear farm and caught the Korean managers preparing to extract bile from a captive bear for a group of Korean tourists. Authorities later confiscated a total of six bears from two Quang Ninh businessmen and issued administrative punishment to the Viet Thai Company. However, these actions appear to have failed to deter bear bile business owners from further violations of the law.

“We highly appreciate the positive responses of Quang Ninh functional authorities in the case of the Viet Thai operation, however, these first steps haven’t been followed by more serious action to bring an end to this practice,” says Dung, ENV Co-director. “These bear bile businessmen are openly challenging the law. It is time that provincial authorities supported by relevant ministries step in and close this illegal form of business for once and for all.”

“The questions remain: when will stronger and long-awaited actions be taken and how can this illegal form of business continue so close to the heart of Vietnam ’s most important tourism destination, Ha Long Bay?”

“This business casts a shadow over the image of Vietnam . It is time to demonstrate that we are serious about our efforts to protect bears and send a message to violators and the public that law is a requirement, not a suggestion, and it applies to all, including businessmen in Quang Ninh who may mistakenly believe that they are above the law,” Dung says.

ENV has been working to end bear farming and trade in Vietnam in partnership with other members of the Vietnam Bear Task Force, which also includes the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF), Free the Bears (FTB) and Wildlife at Risk (WAR). ENV’s efforts focus on working with key decision-makers to strengthen policy and laws relating to the protection of bears, cooperation with law enforcement agencies to strengthen enforcement, and raising public awareness to reduce demand and consumption of bear bile and other bear products.

Further information, please contact:

Mr. Tran Viet Hung
Communication and Public Awareness Manager
Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)
No 5, IF 1, Lane 192, Thai Thinh street , Dong Da dist.
Ha Noi , Viet Nam
Tel/Fax: +84 4 35148850
Email: viethung.env@gmail.com
Mobile: +84 9 78462159


Reference:

Latest Ha Long bear farm in Dec 2010 (KBS)

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/a/u/0/wSVkNjEE9PI



Bear bile tourism operation in Ha Long (Dec 2009)

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/u/24/s45tk8OspjU

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/u/23/uZ181-6i5bo



Bear webpage: http://thiennhien.org/CDBVG/index.php



Bear campaign TV Public Service Announcements

TCM alternatives PSA:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/u/20/p6KUD2IfVBU

Bear extinction guaranteed PSA:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/u/44/gC6rDIPlMzA

Say NO to bear bile PSA:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/u/47/FgkkQ84kmmk

Pop star My Linh PSA:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/u/48/7z93p8Vlbzo

Younger generation Say “No” PSA:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EducationfornatureVN#p/search/1/7R8DJTjCqtY

***

For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit

The Zoo Professionals Book Store

***

For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit

 Zoo News Digest on

FACEBOOK

Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting

The Zoo Hubs

and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine

by clicking

HERE

'No Mirrors Involved'

Snow Leopards

Photo supplied by Peter Litherland of the

Welsh Mountain Zoo

To advertise on Zoo News Digest please click

HERE 

Vietnam cannot have both Bears and bear bile

Photo by: Jonas LivetHelarctos malayanus - Zoo Taiping & Night Safari

Courteousy: http://www.leszoosdanslemonde.com/

Twenty-two percent of Vietnamese people said that they have used bear bile in the past, according to the findings of the study by Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) on attitudes associated with bear bile use in Vietnam .

A total of 3,032 people were surveyed in three cities in Vietnam : Hanoi (north), Da Nang (central) and Ho Chi Minh City (south). The participants were randomly selected and interviewed by telephone to analyze the motivation behind bear bile consumption and evaluate demographic differences between respondents in their attitudes toward the use of bear bile.

The survey results suggested that:

· Bear bile is considered as a magic medicine that can cure a range of health problems including muscle complaints, bruises, digestive problems or even cancer. Bear bile is mainly used to treat specific health problems (73%). Bear bile is also used for general health improvement (24%) and entertainment purposes (14%).

· Hanoi has a much higher percentage of bear bile users than Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City . Thirty-five percent of survey participants in Hanoi claimed that they have used bear bile in the past, while only 16% of those in Ho Chi Minh City and 15% in Da Nang said that they have used bear bile.

· The percentage of men using bear bile is higher than the percentage of women in all three cities. Almost 1/3 of all male survey participants (29%) claimed to have consumed bear bile in the past compared to 17% of all women surveyed.

· People with higher education levels (college degree or higher) are more likely to use bear bile than people with lower education levels (high schools or lower levels). Bear bile consumption also rises with age and the use of bear bile is different between age groups.

Vietnam is home to two species of bears, the Asiatic Black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Both species are being pushed to the edge of extinction, mainly due the illegal hunting and trade to support the demand for bear bile used as a traditional form of medicine. Bears are usually captured as cubs in the wild and sold to bear farms where they are raised and used to extract bile from the gall bladder. Currently, there are about 3,500 bears in farms in Vietnam , most of which originated from the wild.

“ Vietnam ’s bears are in trouble,” says Ms. Vu Thi Quyen, founding director and the author of the report. “Urgent and tough measures are needed to put an end to bear farming and trade in Vietnam .”

Based on the findings from this study, ENV recommends following actions:

· A long-term and sustained awareness campaign must be carried out in order to dispel the belief that bear bile is a form of magic medicine. The campaign should promote medical alternatives to bear bile (both herbal and western medicine) and highlight its perceived ineffectiveness as reported by former users.

· Stronger laws and more effective law enforcement are critical to efforts to phase out bear farming and eliminating bear bile consumption. All unregistered bears discovered by authorities should be confiscated and the owners appropriately punished.

· Studies should be carried out to identify major wild populations of bears in Vietnam where protection and recovery efforts should be prioritized; an analysis of commercial farming of bears and other endangered species and its impact on species conservation should be conducted.

The results of ENV’s study will help authorities and conservation organizations to develop more effective measures to address bear bile consumption and trade in Vietnam and enhance protection for what may be Vietnam ’s last remaining bears in the wild.

“We need to face a tough choice,” says Ms. Quyen, “ Vietnam can’t have wild bears and bear bile too.”

The full results of the study have been compiled in a report, An Analysis of Attitudes and Bear Bile Use in Vietnam (Vietnamese and English version). ENV wishes to thank the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for supporting this important study.

For further info Contact person:
Tran Viet Hung
Communication and Public Awareness Manager
Education for Nature – Viet Nam (ENV)
Email: viethung.env@gmail.com
Phone: +84 4 35148850
Mobile: +84 9 78462159

***

For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit

The Zoo Professionals Book Store

***

For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit

 Zoo News Digest on

FACEBOOK

Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting

The Zoo Hubs

and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine

by clicking

HERE

'No Mirrors Involved'

Snow Leopards

Photo supplied by Peter Litherland of the

Welsh Mountain Zoo

 

To advertise on Zoo News Digest please click

HERE