Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre faces eviction and relocation

Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre faces eviction and relocation following an aggressive campaign against it by the director of Tam Dao National Park, Do Dinh Tien. On Friday 5 October, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) informed Animals Asia that the Ministry of Defence has issued an order to evict the sanctuary operation and its 104 rescued bears.

 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.

 This follows Mr Tien lobbying the Ministry of Defence to declare the sanctuary to be an area of “national defence significance”. The park director has been pressuring Animals Asia to relinquish 6 hectares of land since April 2011. It is believed that he intends to hand the land over to the Truong Giang Tam Dao Joint Stock Company, in which his daughter has an investment. The company has submitted an application for development of an “eco-tourism park” and hotels.

 The closure would see 104 bears that have been rescued from the bile industry evicted, 77 local Vietnamese staff made unemployed, and financial losses to Animals Asia of more than US $2 million. The local economy that depends on the centre would be severely impacted, and the Vietnamese government’s commitment to ending bear bile farming would be called into question.

 The eviction is in direct violation of 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.

 Animals Asia is calling on the public in Vietnam, and internationally, to write to the Prime Minister of Vietnam, and appeal for him to allow the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre that he previously approved and endorsed to be allowed to continue operations, and expand, in line with the government’s original agreement. Details can be found on Animals Asia’s website here: http://www.animalsasia.org/StopTheEviction

 Currently 104 bears rescued from the bear bile industry are living on the site. The bears are being rehabilitated after years of trauma from being locked up in small cages and milked for their bile. These bears will be forced to return to cages to be relocated. This will have a major negative impact on their mental and physical well-being. It is likely to take at least two years to establish a new centre with outdoor enclosures. 

 Mr Tien and the Truong Giang Tam Dao Joint Stock Company have been lobbying the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, within MARD, to approve the real estate development. Mr Tien’s daughter is one of four founding members of the Truong Giang Tam Dao Joint Stock Company and holds 10 percent of the company’s shares. Mr Tien has not publicly disclosed this information.

Following interventions by local embassies (including the British, US, Italian and Australian ambassadors), international organisations and European Ministers, as well as significant media attention, MARD intervened to issue a directive on 26 April 2012 ordering the park director to allocate the land to the bear rescue centre in line with the original agreement with Animals Asia.

Mr Tien then spread misinformation, in an attempt to block construction of the third outdoor bear enclosure, that waste pollution from the rescue centre was damaging the environment and health of the local community. He requested that the Ministry of Agriculture close down the rescue centre and relocate the bears. Following an exhaustive investigation by the Vinh Phuc environmental department, the bear centre was cleared of all allegations.

 It was at this point that the park director began lobbying the Ministry of Defence to apply pressure on the Ministry of Agriculture to stop the rescue centre’s planned development. 

The claim that the land in question is an area of national defence significance is questionable, given that the centre has been in operation since 2005 and that the Chat Dau Valley, where it is located, has been used for tourism and other private purposes since the park opened in 1996.

 It is believed that once the bear centre is forced to close, the land will be declared to no longer be of national defence significance, allowing the Truong Giang Joint Stock Company to take it over for private development.

 The case will now go to the Prime Minister for a final decision. Due to the powerful status of the Ministry of Defence in Vietnam, it is feared that the Prime Minister will be forced to agree with the recommendation to close the centre.

 Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c, Founder and CEO of Animals Asia commented:

“We are desperate to ensure that the rescue centre is not closed down and relocated. The welfare of 104 bears, who have already suffered enough, would be seriously compromised, and the rescue centre and US$2 million in donations would be lost. We’re calling on the public, and the media, both in Vietnam and overseas to urgently appeal to the Prime Minister of Vietnam for justice, and to let him know their feelings on this terrible threat to the bears’ welfare.”

 Tuan Bendixsen, Vietnam Director, Animals Asia commented:

“We hope the Prime Minister is made aware that the directive he issued in 2008 is being undermined by a park director and his undue influence over the Ministry of Defence. This is not a defence issue; it's an issue of profit.  We believe Mr Tien seeks to benefit from land that the Prime Minister promised for the bears that have suffered in Vietnam’s bile trade for too long.”

 “This one man, whose daughter stands to directly profit from the relocation of the centre, should not be allowed this much power.”

Background to Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre

The mission of the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre is to rescue moon bears (Asiatic black bears) and sun bears from inhumane captivity and the illegal bear bile industry.  

The centre was authorised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2005 and given project approval in a directive from the Prime Minister of Vietnam in 2008. It has been a great example of cooperation between an international charity, the Vietnamese government, the Vietnamese people, as well as supporters and donors around the world. 

The 2005 agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and Animals Asia provides 12 hectares of land for the bear rescue centre in Chat Dau Valley, Tam Dao National Park.

Animals Asia has invested over US$2 million in funding to build the rescue centre through developing the first 6 hectares. This funding was donated by thousands of people from around the world who gave the money in good faith, hoping to help bears rescued from the bile industry. It is currently unclear whether Animals Asia will be compensated for the relocation and its losses, or would need to find the funds to start construction again at a new location.

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.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e792ekw3gqvu1fz/C58JPf_gT3

ENDS

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.

A Shining Light in the Vietnamese Music Scene

The sounds of the dan bau, a traditional monochord instrument, reverberated through the back alleys of Tay Ho on a quiet Autumn day in the otherwise bustling Hanoi.  Thanh Tung, a talented Vietnamese musician and composer, played us a song he had written as a teenager, just a few years after his life changed forever. We sat silently and sipped tea in his family home as he strummed his dan bau.

Tung performing at the Australian Embassy for ACCV fundraiser

Tung is not only well known for his moving monochord performances and compositions but for his strength and perseverance as an Agent Orange victim who lost his eyesight at the age of twelve.

I first met Tung at a screening of a documentary about the ongoing effects of Agent Orange and again at an official rally at the Hanoi Opera House to mark the 50 years since Agent Orange was first inflicted on Vietnam.  Eager to find out more about his music and his involvement in the campaign for justice for victims of Agent Orange, I invited him to perform at a fund-raiser at the Australian Embassy. His moving performance showed his sophistication as a musician.  He moved seamlessly between Vietnamese, Western and original compositions, often fusing the two.  I hadn’t appreciated the beauty of the monochord instrument until Tung helped me to see it with new eyes.

As we sat in his living room with his piano, guitar and monochord taking up much of the space, Tung told us a little about the history of chemical warfare in his country. His father, Nguyen Thanh Son, a Vietnam War veteran, served in Quang Tri in Southern Vietnam, an area heavily sprayed with the toxic chemical Agent Orange. US forces, between 1961 and 1971, sprayed nearly 80 million litres of herbicides over South Vietnam, of which 61% was Agent Orange.  

The dioxins in Agent Orange have left a deadly legacy half a century later. It is scientifically difficult to prove the links between the spraying of dioxins and the serious illnesses I observed at the National Children’s Hospital on several visits over the last year.  Leaving aside the politics of the issue, what is evident for all to see is that the great grand children of people who came into direct contact with the poison, or who live in contaminated areas, continue to be born with Agent Orange-related birth defects. Dioxin in the soil continues to damage the environment and sicken the people in and around several “hot spots”. The dioxin attacks the endocrine, immune and reproductive systems of its victims with horrific consequences. In fact, the Vietnamese government estimates that 500,000 children have been born with birth defects caused by contamination with Agent Orange and two million suffered cancers and other ill effects - innocent victims of a chemical intended to harm plant life, not humans.

Tung was not born blind but gradually lost his vision. He immersed himself in his art as a way of coping.  “Music was my salvation and a way of feeling the beauty around me,” he says.

Tung’s grandfather cultivated his talent at a young age. Recyling bamboo, milk crates and other household items, he built Tung’s first dan bau, the monochord instrument he has since mastered. As his disease progressed, Tung’s grandfather read him stories, taught him brail and the guitar (after teaching himself) and painted hundreds of pictures of flowers, rivers and mountains, the change of the seasons, children and animals to fill his life with colour and images that would stay with him as he evolved as an artist.  His childhood memories and imagination filled the remaining void. Tung recalls walking along the Red River under the Long Bien Bridge with his grandfather in the moonlight. "I thought my life was like a river, turning peaceful only after the storms." He plays us his original composition "Moon and River", written during a night of sleeplessness when he endured considerable pain from his disease.  The song was written for his mother "for her love and sacrifice for the family".   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGpRbOg03p4

Overcoming the odds, Tung completed a special two-year music course in the Vietnam National Music Academy where he studied Vietnamese traditional music, majoring in Monochord Performance. When he graduated, Tung continued to study Music composition and piano.

Tung says he wants to use his profile as a musician to raise awareness about the ongoing struggles of Agent Orange victims. “I am one of the lucky ones having been given the gift of music and education.  I am very proud to have been able to fight stereotypes about what visually-impaired people can accomplish in Vietnam,” he says.

He recently appeared in a documentary by a French film maker about the  impacts of Agent Orange in Vietnam. He also showed us another documentary, recently produced in Vietnam, which focuses exclusively on his music. Late last year, he took part in an international conference for Victims of Agent Orange and Dioxin in Hanoi organized by the Vietnamese Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) where he shared his experiences with participants from more than 20 countries and 30 organisations, including Agent Orange victims, victims of other toxic chemicals, scientists, lawyers, veterans exposed to agent orange and social activists.  

Fifty years after the first spraying of toxic chemical Agent Orange by US forces in Vietnam, the victims are still fighting for justice and compensation.  Tung’s family has not received a dime from the US Government or Monsanto, the company responsible for producing the toxin and selling it to the US Government for use in its chemical warfare in the American War in Vietnam.

The United States of America has never admitted liability, even after the National Academy of Sciences in Washington established an extensive list of diseases linked to Agent Orange,  a list that increases every year. To date, recognition has only been extended to US veterans. The Stellman Report (named after the U.S. scientist Jeanne M. Stellman) indicates that up to 4.8 million Vietnamese were directly exposed to Agent Orange.  However, Dow, Monsanto and the US government have gone to great lengths and used their immense wealth to crush any legal action that would make them accountable for their crimes. In many cases these companies have blatantly prevented claims from getting to court in the first place.  Activists at a recent film screening decried the risks of Monsanto returning to Vietnam to sell its genetically modified seed. 

“You only need to see the effects of Agent Orange on my own family to understand,” Tung says. 


At this point he leads us to the back of the living room where we had earlier glimpsed what we thought was a child sleeping.  To our surprise, this was not a child but his older sister who was born with severe brain damage and whose growth had been stunted because of the effects of Agent Orange on her immune and endocrine system.  Her disabilities have rendered her a prisoner in her family home for 38 years. As the primary care giver, Tung’s mother, a talented seamstress, has no choice but to work from home to care for her seriously ill daughter.  His father, a professional photographer (as well as Tung’s manager and official photographer!), works long hours to keep the family afloat.

Asked what support families receive in these situations, Tung says his family receives a small monthly stipend. The Vietnamese Government provides $50 million a year in monthly payments to 200,000 Vietnamese whose health has been affected by their or their parent’s exposure to the herbicides.

The Vietnamese Government has also invested millions of dollars for reforestation projects to replant mangroves and the Ma Da Forest, and to plant single species plantations of acacia and eucalyptus in the defoliated highlands to prevent further erosion. Finally, after 40 years of refusing Vietnamese requests for assistance in cleaning up the chemicals, the United States in August 2012 started its first major effort to address the environmental effects of the war. At a ceremony in Hanoi this week, the US Ambassador to Vietnam said "we are cleaning up this mess."  The $43 million over four years to clean up former US airbases "is not enough" in the eyes of those who suffered the consequences.  For Tung, "it is a little too late."

The Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange come together every year for a national day of action and bonding. On 8 August, Tung headlined a benefit concert  in Hanoi.  As he plays one of his moving compositions, the audience - all wearing orange caps - are listening in silence (unusual for a concert in Vietnam).  He plays a song about awakening and the Vietnamese spring.  Tung helps us to see the light and colour of the season.

It is clear that with his talent, tenacity and charisma, Tung will be a shining light in the burgeoning music scene, as well as the international campaign for justice for all Agent Orange victims.

Ninety Nine Bears on the Wall

The Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao National Park houses 99 bears that have been rescued from cruel bear traders.  Before being rescued these bears lived their whole lives in rusting cages after being brutally trapped in the wild.  Many of these bears have missing limbs and damaged gall bladders from being jabbed with non-sterile needles to extract their bile which evil traders promote as a new "miracle cure." Coupled with the mental stress from years of imprisonment, these bears were condemned to almost certain death.

The Moon Bear Rescue Centre has been a great success story.  A wonderful example of cooperation between Animals Asia, the Vietnamese people and supporters around the world.   The Bear Rescue Centre completed phase 1 of its construction, including enclosures and a surgery, and had commenced building phase 2 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. This project was agreed to by the Prime Minister of Vietnam in 2008 and was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in May 2009. It became an example of the excellent cooperation between Vietnam and the international community in support of conservation and animal welfare.


However, this successful project is now in jeopardy because of plans by a private company (Truong Giang Tam Dao Joint Stock company) to build a major hotel on land that belongs to the Bear Rescue Centre.   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 approve the hotel development and close the Bear Centre.


Animals Asia has dedicated millions of dollars to develop the bear enclosures, including $240 000 to compensate families who were relocated.  This land is now under threat for a profit-making venture. 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 do this.  These private interests are threatening something wonderful in Vietnam. Something Animals Asia, the Vietnamese people and foreign friends have worked on together.


I am appealing to all friends and people that care about the future of the bears and who are tired of people not respecting the legal rights of others to raise this issue as far and wide as possible. I will provide further information in coming months about how you can help.


Here is more information  about the Bear Trade for those that want to read further (information courtesy of Animals Asia Foundation Vietnam).

Bear bile

Bear bile, which contains the anti-inflammatory agent, ursodeoxycholic acid, or UDCA, has long been used in traditional Asian medicine. However, bear bile farming, where the bears are caged their whole lives and milked for their bile, has been practised in Vietnam for only 20 years. Previously, bears were killed in the wild for their whole gall bladders — where the bile is stored.

Endangered Asiatic black bears (also known as moon bears) are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their bile contains higher concentrations of UDCA than other bears’ bile. 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. Under Vietnamese law, both species are listed in category 1B (critically endangered) and legally protected against hunting, trapping and imprisoning. They are also protected under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

Bear farming

Today, 3,567 bears are held on farms throughout Vietnam, even though bear farming has been illegal in the country since 1992. However up until now, there has been little enforcement. Most are moon bears, but sun bears are also milked for their bile. When bile farming was outlawed, farmers were allowed to keep their bears to display to visitors. All the bears remaining on farms were microchipped so the authorities could stop the poaching of bears from the wild. In reality, most are still milked for their bile and poaching remains a big problem.

Animals Asia has been negotiating with the Vietnamese government on the issue since 1999, when there were only 400 bears on farms. At that time we were ready and willing to help with a sanctuary, offering to rescue all the bears. Sadly, the farms were allowed to continue, albeit illegally.

In Vietnam, the bears are kept in small cages and their bile is extracted with the aid of an ultrasound machine, catheter and medicinal pump. They 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. Our veterinary team believes the process leads to leakage of bile into the body and a slow and agonising death from peritonitis.

The trade

Bear bile is used in Asian medicine to treat inflammation, though its use has always been minimal, with herbal alternatives used far more frequently. Today, bear bile is more likely found in quack hangover cures, wine or toothpaste. A cheaper and more effective synthetic alternative to UDCA is used in a range of Western medicines.

In Vietnam, bear bile is sold fresh in liquid form. Since it is illegal to sell bear bile, there is no standard price. However, we are aware of bile sales ranging from US$0.50 to US$30 per millilitre. In a concentrated bear farming area such as Ha Tay, locals pay around US$1-2 per ml. In Ha Long Bay, the going price is around US$6-10 per ml. Tourists from Korea are encouraged to visit a farm during their trip to this beautiful national heritage site.

Although Vietnamese law strictly prohibits the trade in bear bile and other products, demand has increased significantly since the late 1990s. The problem in Vietnam is exacerbated by a lack of enforcement, resources and political will, but years of building up relations with the authorities at all levels is paying off, with Animals Asia now often the first point of contact to help with the rescue of illegally held bears.

The Moon Bear Rescue

In 2005, after years of lobbying by Animals Asia as well as other international and local NGOs, the Vietnamese authorities promised to act to phase out bear bile farming and in November 2005, we signed an agreement with the government to build a sanctuary and rescue 200 bears.

Animals Asia’s campaign to rescue bears from farms and to end the bear bile industry began in 1993 when our founder and CEO Jill Robinson — then working as an animal-welfare consultant for the International Fund for Animal Welfare — made an undercover visit to a bear farm in Guangdong province, China. She had never before witnessed such extreme cruelty and made it her mission to end the bile trade.

Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998 and in July 2000 signed a landmark agreement with the Chinese authorities to rescue 500 bears from farms, to promote the herbal alternatives to bile, and to work together to end bear farming in China. Since then, Animals Asia has built world-class sanctuaries in China and Vietnam, and rescued a total of 350 bears. By mid 2012, the Vietnam bear rescue centre was home to 101 bears.


 Double Jeopardy - Rescued bears face uncertain future

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.

As of today, the TDNP Director has ignored all attempts by the Vietnam Administration of Forestry and our Center’s Steering Committee to resolve the land dispute amicably. Furthermore, the TDNP Director is engaged in a misinformation campaign about our Bear Centre which we wish to constructively address with the diplomatic and media community today

or details.

Grateful thanks to photographers Ali Bullock, Eric Baccega and Mark Newman. © Anim