Vietnamplus

Hanoi Police netted the largest haul of illegal bear bile in the country, according to a press release from the NGO Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) on June 3.

By the end of April this year, 149 captive bears were found in 27 establishments in Hanoi, accounting for more than half of the total nationwide, heard a seminar on May 30.

A project launched by the Centre for Nature Conservation and Development (CCD) and the Vietnamese Centre for Wildlife Conservation (Four Paws Viet) on October 15 is looking for a capable Vietnamese filmmaker to create a valuable message that influences people to protect the environment.

Seven captive bears have been rescued in the southern province of Binh Duong and transferred to a rescue centre, the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) said November 13.

Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV) has released a new short film calling for an end to bear bile farming which tells the story from a captive bear’s perspective.

Four Paws, an international animal welfare organisation, opened a bear sanctuary in Ky Phu commune of Nho Quan district, the northern province of Ninh Binh, on March 7.

More than 5,000 residents in Phuc Tho district of Hanoi have signed their names to a petition calling for an end to bear farming, said Deputy Director of the Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung.

The Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV), on the occasion of Vietnam Bear Day (November 26), launched a letter writing contest with the aim of engaging young people in bear protection efforts.

FOUR PAWS Viet on November 15 received an Asiatic black bear named Trang, the last bear kept in private farm in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, putting an end to bear bile farming in the province.

Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) on August 27 said it has ended the operation of the last private bear bile farm in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang.

An Asiatic black bear owned by Tran Van Trach in Thai Nguyen city of northern Thai Nguyen province has been safely transferred to Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary.

A bear protection exhibition was kicked off in Hanoi on June 30, in the presence of the World Animal Protection (WAP) Ambassador - Thai singer and actor Tono Pakin Kumwilaisuk, to raise public awareness of the importance of bear protection.

By handing over the last captive bear to the bear rescue centre in Cat Tien National Park on May 29, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has become the 22nd locality in the country with no captive bears.

Relevant agencies and localities have taken drastic measures to promote law enforcement on and increase public awareness of wildlife protection, said the Education for Nature Vietnam on May 11.

The 11th annual Hanoi Half Marathon returned to the capital city on December 10 with the theme “Run for Bears – End Bear Farming”, attracting hundreds of runners from 43 countries.

The Vietnam Administration of Forestry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AnimalsAsia on building plans to better protect bears.

Over the past decade, Vietnam has made significant progress in ending bear bile farming thanks to efforts from agencies, non-Governmental organisations and the entire community.

The country’s wild bear population has declined sharply over the past 20 years, according to recent surveys carried out in 22 protected areas.

The Animals Asia said it has received two Asian black bears handed over by an individual in An Khe town in Gia Lai, raising the number of bears saved by the organisation in Vietnam to 177.

Two Tibetan bears which were illegally kept in captivity in southern An Giang province were given to the Hon Me Rescue Centre of southern Kien Giang province on September 29.