Bear cubs rescued from trade
TWO bear cubs were rescued from illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam, with international animal welfare organisation Four Paws taking the bears into its care at its bear sanctuary in Ninh Binh.
Vietnamese authorities confiscated the two Asiatic black bears in the Hai Phong province on January 9.
The female bear cubs, only a few weeks old, fell victim to wildlife smugglers.
At Four Paws bear sanctuary, the bears will receive intensive medical care. There is no trace of the mother and the origin of the two cubs has not yet been determined.
The illegal trade of the bears was stopped just in time thanks to the co-operation of the Vietnamese police and authorities, local NGO Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV), Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand and Four Paws.
After the confiscation, veterinarians provided the bears with medical care.
The pair spent one night at a hotel
The bears are young and the situation is critical, but we will do everything we can for their survival Emily Lloyd Four Paws Vietnam Animal Manager
and were transferred to the sanctuary in Ninh Binh on January 10.
Four Paws Vietnam Animal Manager Emily Lloyd said: “The bears are still very young, and the situation is critical, but we will do everything we can for their survival.
“The cubs were dehydrated when we took them over.
“Our team of veterinarians is providing them with milk added with vitamins and probiotics. Although the bears only weigh 900 grams, both are quite strong and drink enough of the milk.”
However, there is a high possibility that the bears were imported from Laos or came directly from bear farms in Vietnam, Four Paws said.
Details of the planned trade are unknown. Since it is not possible to release the bears into the wild, the animals remain in the species-appropriate bear sanctuary.
Four Paws says research in 2016 and 2017 showed that many bears are still used for bile extraction and the illegal trade of bear bile is still prevalent in Vietnam. The Ninh Binh sanctuary offers space for 44 bears. Four Paws has already transferred over ten rescued bears to the sanctuary.