Bear Bile Farming put to an End in Vietnam

Your signatures made a difference. Vietnam outlawed private bear ownership – a loophole that allowed bear bile farms to keep operating as long as the owners weren’t caught extracting the bile. 

But, thanks to your signatures, more and more bears are making their way to sanctuaries like this one:

From Farming to Foraging

These bears were all saved from tiny barred prisons. They were starved and mistreated. They lived in the most horrendous conditions. And only kept alive to supply bear bile to the owners.

Why is bear bile so popular? It’s part of traditional medicine in some Asian cultures. In 2005 the Vietnamese government outlawed capturing wild bears and extracting bile from bears. There has also been a lot of campaigning to change people’s views on the use of bear bile. In fact, traditional leaders have been convinced to stop prescribing it. And bear bile has become a taboo in most places.

What does this mean for the bears? Well, until 2017 it was still legal for people to own bears – because in 2005 the government didn’t have the funds or homes for the bears to go to. So, the owners could hold onto their bears as a type of service to the government. But obviously a leopard doesn’t change its spots that easily. 

Sadly many of the farms kept operating until a new law was passed in 2017, outlawing private bear ownership. In other words, people had to surrender their bears to sanctuaries where they could live more natural lives – foraging on bamboo or playing with leaves in a pond.

[Animals Asia and the Vietnamese government strike a deal – no more bears on private property!]

A long way to go

For many of the bears, this has been a completely life-changing experience. But, unfortunately, the bad economy and almost extinct bile trade are having some bad effects. The bears that are still privately owned are fed even less now because they make less money on the bile market. So a lot of these bears face even worse conditions than before.

The problem is that there just aren’t enough sanctuaries to take all the bears at once. Most sanctuaries are constantly expanding, but 4800 bears are a lot to take care of! And they have to live in sanctuaries because there are very few forests that are safe for them to live in. If they are released into the wild they will probably get poached again. A lot of the bears also lived under stress for so long that they have to be on heart medication for the rest of their lives – they suffer from high blood pressure. This makes releasing them into the wild almost impossible.

Luckily Sanctuaries are constantly expanding and more and more of the bears get a new lease on life.

Enriched Environments

It took animal activists almost two decades to stop the bear bile trade and make it illegal to own bears. They have fought hard and finally won the right to take bears from cages that were too small to move around in much to huge enclosures that have natural forests for them to play in.

The bears that are saved definitely live a much better life. They are supervised and cared for on a daily basis. Each bear is checked in the morning – and those that need medication get it. Then staff place fruits and vegetables around the enclosures before the bears are let out for the day.

[Cat Tien Bear Sanctuary in Southern Vietnam are building their fifth bear house.]

Their enclosures are huge and filled with fun activities, from ponds to jungle gyms. Most bears prefer to live alone in the wild, but having a few bears in each enclosure helps the sanctuaries to take on more bears at a time. The bears are carefully matched and only join suitable friends during the day.

In the evening the bears are called in for supper time, where they get a quick check and a yummy meal before they turn in for the night. These bears are happy and their health is constantly being monitored to make sure their poor start in life isn’t still causing them any pain or suffering.

The Fight isn’t Over

Sanctuaries still need help to track down and save all the privately owned bears in Vietnam. Luckily people are starting to work with the rescue crews. They are starting to realize how bad the poor bile bears have it. This makes rescue attempts a lot easier. 

At this point, space is their biggest issue. Because the bears at sanctuaries become permanent residents – and they need a lot of space. But the public is becoming more and more aware thanks to these kinds of sanctuaries and their education programs. Organizations are teaming up to help care for the bears and give them the best life possible. People are coming together and offering a loving hand to these animals that have only ever known distress. And it’s all thanks to people like you – people who share and sign petitions. People who care and aren’t afraid to make a difference and stand up for something they believe in.