Owner donates five black bears to rescue centre

Charity Animal Asia has received five Himalayan black bears from a farm in the southern province of Tien Giang which will be transferred to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre.

Charity Animal Asia received five Himalayan black bears from a farm in the southern province of Tien Giang on August 27 which will be transferred to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre.

  

The bears were kept in Tien Giang Province

All the bears, including a female and three males, have been microchipped. According to the Animals Asia, the bears were raised at a farm specialised in animal feed in My Tho City since 1997. The owner wanted to give the bears away to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre so they could live in a better environment.

The bears are in bad health after 20 years in cages. Two bears may be blind or have cataracts and another one may lose half of its tongue. They also have to eat unsuitable food for a long time and have tooth decay.

The NGO is quickly completing procedures with the Forest Protection Department, the forest ranger unit in Tien Giang and the farm owner. Veterinarians and specialists also arrived at the farm to prepare for the trip. Dr. Mandala Hunter and nurse Sarah Donald checked on the bears' health and concluded that they could be transferred in cages. One bear, however, may be anaesthetised for the trip.

  

Dr. Mandala Hunter checks on the bears

The team will travel 1,700 km to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre at Tam Dao National Park in Vinh Phuc Province. It is expected that the bears will reach their destination on August 31.

The Animals Asia has rescued a total 198 bears in Vietnam. About 178 of them are being taken care of at Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. It is estimated that there are still 800 bears kept at private farms while only a few hundred are left in the wild.