Hanoi (VNA) – The Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV), Vietnam’s first non-governmental organisation focused on wildlife conservation, organised a press conference on October 22 to review its efforts over the past two decades to end bear farming for bile in the country.
At the event, ENV Deputy Director Bui Thi Ha said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the World Animal Protection (WAP) carried out a campaign to manage the forests and end bear farming for bile after some 4,000 bears were discovered on hundreds of farms across Vietnam for the extraction of the liquid which is believed to be of some medical use.
Since then the ENV has worked closely with the Animals Asia Foundation, Four Paws, and Free the Bears to save the animals, promote law enforcement, and raise public awareness of the problem, she said.
Director of the Four Paws Viet Tran Quoc Bao said rescue centres have an important role to play in caring for and rehabilitating the bears, expressing his hope for cooperation from local administrations and international organisations in transferring the animals to the centres to phase out the practice.
According to the ENV, as of August 2024, the number of bears held captive at facilities across the nation fell to 192. A total of 46 localities have achieved the status of being free of bear farming.
While significant progress has been made across the nation, Hanoi remains a hotspot, with 94 bears being kept at 16 private facilities.
The ENV has worked to urge owners to voluntarily transfer their bears so they can live in a species-specific refuge where they have a better quality of life.
Established in 2000, the ENV has spearheaded efforts to end Vietnam’s illegal wildlife trade and raise public awareness of the protection of endangered animals./.
