Reprieve for bear rescue centre in Vietnam

A sanctuary for bears rescued from the Asian bile trade which has been at the centre of a high-profile land dispute has been spared eviction by Vietnam's government, its director said.

A sanctuary for bears rescued from the Asian bile trade which has been at the centre of a high-profile land dispute has been spared eviction by Vietnam's government, its director said.

This picture provided by Animals Asia and taken on November 29, 2011 shows Asiatic black bears inside a cage at a private bear bile farm in Vietnam.

The $2 million centre, in Tam Dao national park, was told in July that it could face eviction, prompting a campaign backed by Ricky Gervais and other celebrities to save it.

The centre, home to more than 100 animals saved from so-called bile farms, will be allowed to "continue the project to build the Tam Dao bear sanctuary" in northern Vietnam, according to a government notice posted online late Tuesday.

The decision was made at a meeting Monday chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Bile from the Asian black bear is believed to possess healing qualities in traditional Chinese medicine, but animal rights groups decry the practice of confining the creatures in small cages to draw the liquid from their stomachs.

"This is great news, very unexpected, we are thrilled," Tuan Bendixsen, the Vietnam director of Animals Asia, which runs the centre, said.

"We want to thank the government of Vietnam for helping us to save the bears. We are confident we can move ahead now," he added.

The centre feared for its future after receiving a letter in July from a vice defence minister forbidding any further expansion and ordering it to find a new location, arguing that its land area was of national strategic interest.