Double Jeopardy - Mistreated Bears Face Eviction

101 endangered Moon and sun bears face eviction  from their home in the Animals Asia Bear Rescue Centre in a tale about greed, hubris and the abuse of power in Vietnam.   

This week  local authorities ordered that Animals Asia stop all building work at the Bear Rescue Centre ( which is currently undergoing an expansion of its facilities to house more rescued bears).  Credible stories started circulating that authorities also wanted the bears to be relocated to make room for the development of holiday villas.  Authorities then rejected the Bear Centre’s 2012 development plan.  

 Bears have always had a difficult time in this part of the world.  During the 1980s, entrepreneurs began caging moon bears and milking them for their bile daily, creating a small, but profitable, industry — first in Korea and China, then in Vietnam and neighbouring countries. Today, sun bears are also kept on farms in Vietnam.

Before being rescued by Animals Asia these bears lived their whole lives in rusting cages after being brutally trapped in the wild.  Greedy entrepreneurs today promote their bile as an ointment to enhance sexual performance in males.  It is also used as a quack hangover cure, in wine  and in toothpaste. Endangered Asiatic Bears (also known as moon bears) are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their bile contains higher concentrations of UDCA, the substance falsely believed to be an anti-inflammatory agent).

To fully understand the cruelty of the procedure, an explanation is necessary. Bile is extracted with the aid of an ultrasound machine, catheter and medicinal pump. Bears are drugged with ketamine — an illegal general anesthetic and tranquiliser — restrained with ropes and repeatedly jabbed in the abdomen with four-inch needles until the gall bladder is found. Veteranarians  believe the process leads to leakage of bile into the body and a slow and agonising death from peritonitis. In addition to the  mental stress from years of imprisonment, these bears have missing limbs and damaged gall bladders from being jabbed with non-sterile needle.   Until the bear rescue centre came along these bears were condemned to certain death.  

The Moon Bear Rescue Centre, agreed to by the Prime Minister in Vietnam in 2008,  was considered  a great success story – a  wonderful example of cooperation between Animals Asia, the government, the Vietnamese people and supporters around the world.   Building had started on a second phase of the Centre   comprising dens, semi-natural enclosures and rehabilitation areas for the severely disabled bears.  The future aim was to construct a world class rescue centre for 200 bears that would also serve as an educational Centre to raise awareness about conservation and the welfare of bears in Vietnam.  

However, this model project for animal conservation in Vietnam is now in jeopardy because of plans by a politically-connected private company (Truong Giang Tam Dao Joint Stock company)   to build holiday villas on land that belongs to the Bear Rescue Centre.  The Tam Dao National Park Director and Truong Giang Company have been lobbying the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), to approve the land development involving the leasing of 48 hectare of TDNP land by the Truong Giang Company.  Six ha., out of this 48 ha. of land, belongs to the Center. The Director of the National Park, who has personal connections to the company*, has been spreading misinformation about the Centre and has requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue a stop work order on expansion plans and to free the way for the private land development.  They have used high level connections to override the legal rights of Animals Asia.

One might ask at this point whether a land development even makes good economic sense.  Tam dao national park is awash with villas and hotels -built on national park land - that remain unoccupied.   Any tourism potential seems directly related to the Bear Rescue Centre and the illusion, at least, of a pristine national park.  

Animals Asia has dedicated millions of dollars to develop the bear enclosures, including $240 000 to compensate families who were relocated.  It has a built a state of the art facility that is environmentally sustainable and responsible.  This land is now under threat for a profit-making venture which will no doubt have little regard for principles of environmental management.

 This is not just an issue of land grabbing. It is a matter of life and death for the bears.  The sooner Animals Asia finish construction, the sooner they can release bears onto grass, into sunshine, into their natural habitat – a normal life.  

With your help, we can prevent the forcible eviction of the bears.  These private interests are threatening something wonderful in Vietnam. A few greedy individuals, with their political connections, are violating the legal rights of Animals Asia and destroying a conservation and education project that belongs to the Vietnamese people.  Something Animals Asia, the Vietnamese people and foreign friends have worked on together.

Please spread the word about this issue and help save the bears from a terrible fate. 

 * Tam Dao National Park Director, who is co-director of the Bear Rescue Center and one of our government counterparts, is openly supporting the land demands of the Truong Giang Company.  The Tam Dao Park Director’s daughter is one of the 4 founding members of the Truong Giang Company and she holds 10% of the company’s shares.

Further Background Information (based on earlier post)

The mission of the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center (VBRC) is to rescue Asian bears from inhumane captivity.  The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) authorized the establishment of the VRBC in 2005. Since then, we have rescued  more than 100 bears.

The current facility is nearing its capacity, and a long-planned expansion of the facility utilizing 6 ha. of adjacent land is urgently needed in order for our Center  to rescue an additional 100 bears from captivity.  However, this expansion is being blocked by certain local officials who are supporting a company that wants to use the 6 ha to develop vacation homes.  These officials have requested that MARD rescinds the permits for the expansion site. 

Your  support  is called upon to ensure that all commitments made by all parties involved in this project are maintained.  

Key Issues at Stake Behind the Land Dispute: The future of our Centre (VBRC) is being threatened because the Director of Tam Dao National Park (TDNP) and the Truong Giang Tam Dao Joint Stock Company want to take control of 6 ha. of  land that have been set aside by the Government for an expansion of the Rescue Center (Phase II of the construction of VBRC).  Our sanctuary is now at full capacity with 101 bears and work has been ongoing on the expansion.   

The Pressure is On Through Heavy Lobbying: The Truong Giang Tam Dao Joint Stock Company and the Director of TDNP have been pressuring Animals Asia Foundation to relinquish 6 ha. of land since April 2011.  TDNP Director and Truong Giang Company have been lobbying the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), to approve a real estate development project involving the leasing of 48 hectare of TDNP land by the Truong Giang Company.  Six ha., out of this 48 ha. of land, belong to our Center.

Tam Dao Park Director Strikes First: In 2011, VBRC Phase II envisaged the construction of a cub house, and a double bear house with two large outdoor enclosures, as well as a second waste treatment system to accommodate the increasing number of bears being rescued and treated at the Center. 

On September 29, 2011 TDNP Director halted the construction of the second outdoor bear enclosure claiming that the construction had encroached on land owned by the Truong Giang Company and violated the National Park’s Master Plan. TDNP Director also requested MARD to close down the Bear Centre and relocate the 101 bears currently living at the Center.

Tam Dao National Park Director, who is co-director of the Bear Rescue Center and one of our government counterparts, is openly supporting the land demands of the Truong Giang Company.  The Tam Dao Park Director’s daughter is one of the 4 founding members of the Truong Giang Company and she holds 10% of the company’s shares.