Thua Thien – Hue (VNA) – The first phase of the Bear Rescue Centre Vietnam's second branch at Bach Ma National Park wasinaugurated on November 17 in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue by theAnimals Asia Foundation (AAF) and the Forest Protection Department under theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The centre includes a veterinary hospital and various zones for bear foodpreparation, awareness education, and waste treatment, among others along with other infrastructure.
The facility has received three bears to care for.
The new facility's construction was started in 2022 and it aims to put anend to bear bile farming by late 2026. The AAF has provided 10.5 million USD innon-refundable aid for this effort.
According to the AAF, there are more than 300bears being held in farms across the country.
Bears have often been held captive in Vietnamfor their bile, which is thought to have healing effects according totraditional medicine.
According to arepresentative of the AAF, the organisation has launched a"#nobearleftbehind” hashtag campaign with the goal of rescuing all bearsheld in captivity in Vietnam.
Since2006, it has rescued 267 captive bears in Vietnam./.