Very heart-warming news out of Vietnam as the animal welfare non-profit Animals Asia has rescued five more bears from the cruel bile industry! The rescue team arrived in a small town in Vietnam’s southern province to rescue the five moon bears from a notorious bear bile farm. These sweet bears were most likely captured from the wild and have been held captive for at least 13 years, forced to live their lives in tiny cages so that their bile could be extracted for use as a traditional medicine. This extreme captivity, devoid of any stimulation or opportunity to express natural behaviors, left the bears traumatized and their bodies broken.
Once freed from their torture cages the five bears were transported 1,700km by truck to Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Center, where they can begin the healing process and long road to recovery. The physical and psychological condition of these bears is very critical, as after so many years of abuse rescued bears often suffer from numerous debilitating medical ailments and disabilities. The rescue team contains experienced veterinarians and vet nurses who always hope for the best, but have to be prepared for the worst.
Animals Asia Vietnam Director Tuan Bendixsen said: “As with many rescues, we have no information about the bears at present – not even their genders. But we know they have never received any health care in the last 13 years of extreme captivity and abuse. Repeated bile extraction takes a huge toll on the bears’ health and our team will be ready for anything. Our primary goal will be to get them out of cages which were never designed to be opened, keep them alive and get them back to our sanctuary where high-quality care can begin.” You can watch the bears’ rescue video here:
Bear bile farming is a huge problem in many countries throughout Asia, and reached a peak in Vietnam in 2005 when over 4,000 bears were kept around the country on private bile farms. Animals Asia has been working for twenty years to end the bear bile industry, and in July 2017 the years of campaigning finally succeeded in the signing of a landmark agreement between the non-profit and the Vietnamese government. According to the groundbreaking agreement the government of Vietnam will close every bear bile farm and send all the bears to sanctuary by 2022. Vietnam’s Traditional Medicine Association, which is a huge part of the problem, has also vowed to stop prescribing bear bile by 2020.
This agreement was a huge step in the right direction; however, with so many bears being held captive on bile farms it is a very long process to get them all to qualified sanctuaries. The latest figures from the Vietnamese government show the number of bears in private hands has now fallen to approximately 800. The five moon bears most recently rescued were voluntarily handed over by their owner with the help of the provincial Forest Protection Department.
Animals Asia Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said: “More and more farmers are beginning to realize that bear bile farming is finished in Vietnam. Demand for bile is plummeting as people learn of the cruelty behind every vial, while the government has made it clear the end of the industry is just a matter of time. For these five bears, the end of suffering cannot come soon enough. Now we have to get them home to our sanctuary where their new lives can begin.”
To date, Animals Asia has rescued 611 bears, mainly from bile farms in Vietnam and China. Over 170 bears currently live at the organization’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Center, the largest and oldest sanctuary for bears in the country. These five bears rescued recently are certainly very lucky, as their lives are about to improve monumentally.
Caretakers plan to introduce the bears to progressively larger spaces, slowly integrating them with other bears at the sanctuary. Before too long they will be able to roam large natural enclosures, where they can express their natural instincts and behaviors. Moon bears can live up to 30 years, and with these sweet darlings in such good hands they will enjoy many happy years under the sanctuary’s loving care.

Honte à tous ces pays d’Asie et a leur croyance infondée ! Ridicule et cruel de telles pratiques qui n’apportent rien si ce
n’est la souffrance de tous ces ours qui devraient vivre libres dans leur milieu naturel parmi leur famille !
Thank you for rescuing these bears.
Thank you ffornyour work rescuing these bears.
Relief at last from the torture. Grateful thanks to Jill Robinson’s Animals Asia, who do such incredibly wonderful work rescuing and rehabilitating bile bears, and also educating the people about how cruel and unnecessary the practice is.
yes its sad and bad for these poor Bears, I so often think about them being held captive and a tube inserted into them and bile taken out, come on this is not nessary
Hope the bears will recover and start remembering good things forward in their new surroundings and lifes.
Thank goodness people are finally seeing the light about his horrible practice. Hopefully the bears can find some happiness at the sanctuary.
So happy for these darling bears. And good news that Vietnam has been persuaded to phase out the horrifically cruel bear-bile trade.
LMS you wonderful words can’t be made any better than they are. These were at least 5 steps in the right direction getting some animals out of their hell(s).
I couldn’t have expressed my heartfelt gratitude for all you have done for the animals better than LMS did below so I won’t.
Heartfelt thank-yous to all involved in this project. Your relentless acts of humanity, kindness & morality have ended the unspeakable horror these animals have been subjected to while locked in these death cages SUFFERINF for countless years on end.
BLESSINGS to every single one of you. PEACE & HEALING for the bears so they can live the renainder of their days in painfree freedom.
PRAYERS FOR THE DAY WHEN THESE CULTURES ARE EDUCATED & EMBRACE THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO VALIDITY IN THESE ANTIQUATED BELIEFS & FOR THE DAY THESE CULTURES CHANGE & EMBRACE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ALL SENTIENT ANIMALS.
WE MUST CONTINUE THE BATTLE ON BEHALF OF ALL ANIMALS & THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF FUTURE GENERATIONS OF THESE & ALL COUNTRIES.
THE WORLD CARES, THE WORLD IS WATCHING & THE CIVALIZED WORLD DEMANDS ETHICAL PROTECTION OF OUR ANIMALS.
ASIA- RELEASE THE REST OF YOUR CAPTIVE BEARS NOW- 1 MORE DAY OF TORTURE IS 1 TOO MANY. ADOPT LAWS SAVING ALL ANIMALS FROM ABUSE & TORTURE.
Thank you for your comments. I could not have said it better myself do I didn’t and just dittoed yours!
Supported Animas Asia for year but have stopped due to their stance on Yulin which they say they “have to walk away from” as the way to end this is NOT to buy the dogs that are being tortured. Great work with the bears(some of the farmers are paid!!) but ALL ANIMALS lives even golden retrievers who have their skulls crushed by a policeman when tied up outside a shop.
My heart jumped with JOY seeing them play. May God bless you all rescuers!!!!!
government of Vietnam will close every bear bile farm and send all the bears to sanctuary by 2022. Vietnam’s Traditional Medicine Association, which is a huge part of the problem, has also vowed to stop prescribing bear bile by 2020.
This agreement was a huge step in the right direction; however, with so many bears being held captive on bile farms it is a very long process to get them all to qualified sanctuaries. The latest figures from the Vietnamese government show the number of bears in private hands has now fallen to approximately 800. The five moon bears most recently rescued were voluntarily handed over by their owner with the help .
TIME FOR WORLDWIDE CHANGE
THE GALARNEAU FAMILY
It’s so painful to know that such human ignorance exists in this century. However, ignorance is not the only motive that inspires sickos to animal cruelty. Where there is a profit market, there are dangerous humans who will jump on the profit wagon, regardless of the cost to the victims. These rescuers are true HEROES for these bears. I’m so inspired by their work and their dedication.
Torture them,all those who torture bears. Sickos
These people in this part of the world are sickos. C’mon, dog meat cruelty, fur trade, skinning them alive,,!! Torturing bears for bile. Damn what’s wrong with you anyway. I hope you die horrible deaths and are tortured in the Afterlife in hell for eternity and your kids and grandkids too
Thank you so much for rescuing these bears from a life of cruelty to a much safer and healthy environment.
This has to stop the animals aren’t made for this shit
Thank you to all who helped rescue.
I’m so thankful to the amazing people who give of their time to do the right thing and help innocent animals escape the hell they’ve been put in at the hands of humans.
Good news God bless these rescuers
Good news
Thank You to the Heroes Who Made This Possible!!!
It Will Take All of Us to Save Animals from Horrible Exploitation Everywhere! Heroes on the Rise!!!
Good news about the rescued bears – GREAT.
Again, WHY IS THERE MORE TRAGIC, EVIL AND CRUEL PRACTICE towards innocent beings in THE FAR EAST than anywhere on earth? The government allows all of this to continue. I read every label first.
This rotten evil coming out of THE FAR EAST MUST END.
To treat innocent beautiful kind beings this way reflects an immoral group of humans.
Tragic. I read every label before I buy.
God bless these rescuers !!
A million THANKS to all those involved in the work of rescuing these darling souls. My heart goes out to you and to them and I know it’s a big ordeal for all involved. God Bless!
Yes, just wish it could all happen quicker. I have though about these bears for years. What totally sad lives they have had-totally unfair. Thank you to all those that work for their rescue. Hope it can happen before 2022. People that do such terribly cruel things to these bears (and all animals) must be on the level of criminals. Heartless and cruel-they must see the pain these animals suffer…………
EXCELLENT WORK. THETE ARE 5 MORE HAPPY BEARS LIVING THEIR LIVES NOW
T those who question why it takes so long I would guess it is not as easy to get them out as it may seem. Also they have to have the facilities ready and they may not be quite yet. We would all like to end this barbaric practice now including Jill Robinson who has put so much care and effort into rescuing them. If you can send some money to help support the bears because they will hopefully live a long time.
KEEP UP YOUR GREAT WORK — THANK YOU FOR RESCUING THESE INNOCENT, VULNERABLE ANIMALS, WHO ARE ALWAYS AT THE MERCY OF HUMANS.
ASIA disgusts me with its lotions and potions! So-called ANCIENT remedies for human maladies and sexual prowess! Dicks so small that they consume DOGS! A “culture” of animal abuse that is so ingrained! HELL is occupied with ASIANS!!! BILE extraction from caged BEARS??? Confucius say “He who tortures bears will be STRIPPED bare and suffer the most wicked of consequences!”
Thanks to all concerned for their rescue. But why wait?
Agreed, but with so many bears still on bile farms it will probably take a while to rescue them all.
I am so grateful to the rescuers, but these bears, along with all of them held in captivity for this horrific treatment, HAVE THEIR PAWS CUT OFF AS NOT TO HURT THE EVIL HUMANS THAT KEPT THEM HERE. How will these poor innocents ever live a normal life. Most humans are evil.
I also remember reading in a previous article that the bears on bile farms have their front paws cut off so they can’t fight back. Some people are just pure evil.
What a great ending for these lovely creatures. Thank goodness they were rescued and, can now enjoy the freedom to roam about and be free from a life of pain and neglect. Well done to everyone involved. You are true heroes.
Barbaric and backward people in countries who still believe in this traditional ‘medicine’. Their governments need to come into the 21st century, ban this vile practice and educate their own people by teaching them that we now have much more modern and effective medicine!!
Thank you Animals Asia and Jill Robinson for rescuing these poor horrifically abused Moon bears. What they and so many others have been subjected to is terror, pain and torture beyond belief. So sad to think that any human is capable of such heinous behaviour. Damn these vile governments for not protecting all animals from such horrible cruelty. Pass and enforce some damn, much-needed animal welfare laws.
Here we go with asians again abusing and torturing animals of all kinds what is wrong that they need to torture innocent animals for medicine or meat or fur or anything else I find you people barbaric and inhumane to do such vile acts upon gods creatures I don’t believe its culture as you say it is just horrible how you treat animals for your pleasure and money and beliefs experiments the list goes on I dont respect your country or you people in general and as far as others who say from your country there appalled and ashamed well if it’s so then they would stop and fight for the animals they all suffer and it’s time it stops you will always in the eyes of others be barbarians all asians are the same but nobody is stopping the torture the animals go through God is watching and will punish you for all your doing to his creatures I hate you all and hope a tsunami comes and destroys you all soon and ti the Asian who live and born in the US I’m ashamed of you as well for not making your govt listen this is sheer torture for these animals and it’s time you take a stand against it otherwise you will suffer at gods fait so wake up all you asians and stop animal torture and stop being barbaric towards them you will see how loving any animal could be so stop your evil and beliefs and money to torture these innocent animals stop your insanity and be human not barbarians remember animals feel pain and have feelings and emotions just as we do show them love and kindness not to be on a dinner plate until that day comes you will be known to the world as barbarians and your horrible torture you inflict so please stop and let animals live in love and freedom show everyone you care stop this horrible crimes you committ upon all of them and gain the respect as a country again
Oh my, the video in the middle of the article brought tears to my eyes. Thank you AnimalsAsia for rescuing these delightful bears, I wish them much joy and happiness in their new lives!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I prayed for their healing and ability to learn what it is like to have good food and care and wander freely among each other.
Thank goodness for people like the Animals Asia who put the animals b4 themselves the world needs more people like them instead of these vile people who run these bile farms.
Take care
These scum who use animals for crush videos are evil and vile. They should be executed.
Makes me ashamed to be a human being,