Four bears starve to death at Halong Bay bile farm

Four bears starve to death at Halong Bay bile farm

The Quang Ninh Forest Protection Department has reported that four bears from the Cau Trang bear bile farm in Halong City, Vietnam have died.

While the exact cause of death is unknown their severe state of malnourishment is likely to have been the main contributing factor, with the bears effectively starving to death.

The news follows an expose by animal welfare organisation Animals Asia late last year.  A report on the farm’s 27 bears outlined the appalling conditions. The bears were described as emaciated, suffering from open wounds and missing limbs.

Following the four bear deaths, 23 bears now remain.

Animals Asia provided a report prepared by Senior Veterinarian Joost Philippa to the Quang Ninh Forest Protection Department and the Ministry of Rural Development on November 27. It included the request that the bears be handed over to Animals Asia for care and rehabilitation at its nearby Tam Dao bear sanctuary.

While continuing to await a response, and fearing for the lives of the bears, Animals Asia followed up with an urgent request to the Ministry of Rural Development on December 24.

Now, with news that four bears have already died, Animals Asia’s worst fears have been realised.  Concern for the remaining bears has also increased.

With the situation growing increasingly desperate, a third urgent request was sent to the Ministry of Rural Development on January 7.

Animals Asia’s Vietnam Director Tuan Bendixsen said:

“The Quang Ninh Forest Protection Department has been extremely helpful in this case. They initially forced the farm to give our vet team access and have kept us updated with the condition of the bears.

“However, it is not within their jurisdiction to close the farm and save the lives of these bears or to allow us to treat them. The Ministry of Rural Development has national responsibility for the welfare of Vietnam’s bears in captivity.”

Animals Asia founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:

“This is exactly what we feared, with the farmer clearly not caring for these bears on any level.  This goes beyond animal welfare – the farmer is failing the most basic level of care and these poor bears are starving to death.

“This is not acceptable, and we will fight to rescue the remaining bears just as we continue to fight to end bear bile farming. This is an unfolding tragedy that must end. There is still the chance of a happy ending for the remaining bears.”

The farm is just minutes from Vietnam’s iconic Halong Bay beauty spot visited by millions of tourists every year.

Bear bile is used in traditional medicines with nearly 2,000 bears still caged in bile farms in Vietnam – despite bile farming being illegal since 1992.  Bears are chipped and monitored by government, however farmers have continued to exploit legal loopholes to carry on the practice which means the bears suffering regular, painful extractions.

The Animals Asia founders have campaigned against bear bile farming since the early 90’s before founding the NGO in 1998. Since their inception Animals Asia has rescued over 500 bears in China and Vietnam.  

Moon bears are world's most exploited bear

Moon bears are world's most exploited bear

The moon bear is the world’s most poached and smuggled bear – according to a new report from Interpol.

The report on the worldwide trade of bears and their parts, estimates the trade is worth $2 billion.

While the document outlines the plight of eight species across four continents, it’s Asia’s moon bears – prized for their bile – which are the most sought after with products from wild bears in particular demand.

Wild bear bile can fetch up to 65 times more than that from a farmed bear.

The findings, which echo a 2014 report by Traffic, contradict bear farmer’s claims that the legal breeding of bears for their bile reduces poaching of animals in the wild.

Read the full Interpol report, which was sponsored by Humane Society International, here.

Animals Asia founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:

“This is very much in line with what we have been saying – far from alleviating pressure on wild bear populations, the legal bear bile market in China has only intensified poaching by both fuelling demand and seeing wild bears taken illegally from the wild to supplement the number of bears on bile farms.”

In their report, Interpol call on the world’s governments to unite to save the world’s bear populations.

Head of Interpol’s Environmental Security unit, David Higgins, said:

“Improving enforcement coordination, from legislation to investigation, can have a considerable impact on syndicates involved in the trade.

“A unified planning process with a cooperative multinational enforcement efforts bringing together police, customs and wildlife law enforcement units is crucial if we want to dismantle the complex networks of individuals.”

The report follows 2014’s release by Traffic which showed the illegal trade in bears has nearly tripled in Asia between 2000 and 2011.

Traffic found that while moon bears are the most heavily traded, sun bear populations have reportedly declined by 30 per cent over the past 30 years because of deforestation and trade.

Jill Robinson added:

“We commend Interpol’s report into the trade of bears and their parts for highlighting just how widespread the trade has become. It is truly global and huge amounts of money are being made at the expense of the world’s bear populations.

“Interpol’s call for global action against the trade is something we strongly welcome. The issue requires a multinational response and as always we’re ready and willing to work with all parties to find solutions.”

Chinese bear bile farm to become a sanctuary

Chinese bear bile farm to become a sanctuary

Historic agreement sees Animals Asia working with farm to rescue 130 bears

Bear in Bear Bile Farm

Animal welfare organisation Animals Asia will convert a bear bile farm in Nanning, China, into a sanctuary following an unprecedented request by the farm to rescue and care for its 130 bears.

 From May 5, Animals Asia will take 28 of the sickest bears, 1,200km in a multi-vehicle convoy back to our existing sanctuary in Chengdu for urgent veterinary attention. Then Animals Asia will also take over the care of the bears on the Nanning bear farm and start the two-year process of turning it into a sanctuary.

The move was instigated by Mr Yan Shaohong, General Manager of Flower World, which runs the bear farm as part of a wider state-invested horticultural business.

The move has been hailed as historic by Animals Asia CEO and founder Jill Robinson MBE, who sees it as a significant step in our ongoing campaign to end bear bile farming. She said:

“China has long been outraged by this cruel practice and our statistics show 87% of Chinese are against bear bile farming. This negotiation is a result of years of growing awareness and increased opposition, with the bear farmer showing the moral integrity to do the right thing. We believe it can be the start of a wider conversation, with all parties represented, with the aim of finally ending bear bile farming in China. We should never underestimate the importance of rescuing 130 bears, but we believe it can represent so much more than that.”

Mr Yan has described the decision to approach Animals Asia as one fuelled by the desire for the company to get out of the increasingly unpopular and ultimately unprofitable industry. He was also determined that the bears would not be sold onto other farms and continue to suffer cruelty.

He said:

“In the last two years, there has been a lot of discussion about the practice of extracting bear bile.  After several rounds of discussion among the management team of Flower World, we reported the idea of conversion to our superiors and received their approval and support. We decided not to invest further in bear farming – it’s time for change.

“We figured out that selling bears directly to farms could return some of our investment but it wouldn’t be satisfying. Some of the bears here are sick, some had bile extracted previously and some are new-born cubs. If we only transfer those bears into another bear farm, the living condition of them still cannot be guaranteed. We had to find a good placement for those bears –  a trustworthy partner with professional skills.

“We visited the Animals Asia’s China Bear Rescue Centre in Chengdu. The centre provides comfortable shelters and a living area simulating a natural environment for bears, where they can have abundant and delicious food, and clean and spacious dens. The animal welfare level in the centre for bears has confirmed our plan to work with Animals Asia. We believe the future for our bears would be improved by working with Animals Asia.”

Bear in Chengdu

The undertaking will mean a US$5m investment by Animals Asia – covering the initial rescue of 28 bears followed by the sanctuary conversion as well as budgeting for three years of bear care. Existing farm staff will continue to be employed and will work alongside Animals Asia employees and learn from their expertise.

Bear bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine with over 10,000 bears believed to be in farms in China suffering daily extractions in tiny cages and horrific conditions.

The bears at Nanning Bear farm have not had their bile extracted in over two years since Mr Yan decided to end the practice. However many still suffer health problems as a result of earlier extractions as well as issues due to their confinement in small cages, poor diets and lack of veterinary care.

To date Animals Asia has rescued 285 bears in China. This will be the biggest bear rescue ever attempted anywhere in the world. Animals Asia is the only organisation with a bear sanctuary in China.

 Animals Asia China Director of External Affairs Toby Zhang said:

“We are opening the doors of a bile farm to the world. In doing so we are showing that a bile farm can close, be converted, and have a cruelty free future. We will be working with Mr Yan to investigate a sustainable model for what will become the Nanning Bear Rescue Centre – Animals Asia’s second sanctuary in China.

“Our research tells us that Chinese people do not want bear bile farming. We want those people to be heartened and inspired by this announcement. We want owners of Chinese bile farms to view it positively too. We want them to pursue their own way out.

“As we enter into this agreement with a state-invested business we also welcome the opportunity to work with government to seek solutions. We are not saying this is a one-size-fits-all solution. What we are saying is – if we can reach this agreement and deliver on this massive undertaking then we should all be inspired by the possibilities.”

Vietnam bear sanctuary saved from eviction

Vietnam bear sanctuary saved from eviction
Animals Asia’s Vietnam bear rescue centre has been saved from the eviction threat that has been hanging over it since 5 October 2012. A communiqué issued by the Vietnamese government confirms that Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has concluded that the rescue centre’s operation should be maintained, and that construction on the project’s second phase should continue.

This decision ensures that the 104 bears living at the centre that have been rescued from the bile industry will stay, 77 local Vietnamese staff keep their jobs, and Animals Asia who fund and operate the centre will not suffer the financial losses of US $2 million as previously feared.

Animals Asia is a charity that is devoted to ending the barbaric practice of bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals in China and Vietnam. The Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre, located in Tam Dao National Park, is dedicated solely to the rescue of previously farmed bears in Vietnam.

Tuan Bendixsen, Vietnam Director, Animals Asia commented:
“We are very grateful to the Prime Minister for his commitment to the bear rescue centre. We look forward to working with the government to end bear bile farming and help conserve the bear species.”

Jill Robinson MBE, Founder and CEO, Animals Asia commented:
“Our priority has been to rehabilitate these bears after their years of trauma from being locked up in small cages and milked for their bile. If we had been forced to relocate it would have had a terrible impact on their wellbeing. We want to sincerely thank the tens of thousands of supporters from around the world who wrote letters, sent e-mails and signed petitions calling for the eviction to be stopped.”

The rescue centre was established based on the Vietnam government’s 2005 agreement with Animals Asia to fund and develop a facility on 12 hectares of the park that would permanently rehabilitate and house 200 endangered bears rescued from the illegal bear bile industry. Based on this agreement, Animals Asia has invested more than US$2 million in building and infrastructure.

There are over 10,000 bears – mainly moon bears but also others such as Malayan sun bears and brown bears – kept on bile farms in China, and around 2,400 in Vietnam. They’re “milked” regularly for their bile, which is stored in the gall bladder. The bile is used as a form of medicine, even though many herbal and synthetic alternatives are available. Starved, dehydrated and riddled with ailments, the bears suffer a living hell.

Animals Asia is working to end bear bile farming in China and Vietnam, where bears are kept in small cages for up to 30 years so their bile can be extracted through catheters, needles and open wounds.