A Better Life for Bears

Bazan paced in circles, growling softly. It was a spring morning in An Khê, a town in central Vietnam. But the zinc roof over Bazan’s copper cage only made the 90-degree heat worse. Someone had stuck a long spoon with honey through the bars, but the bear was too agitated to notice. A small crowd had gathered in front of her cage, and in Bazan’s experience, that was never a good thing—people often signaled harm.

But the group I was part of that morning had come to rescue Bazan and her friend Wendles. The two Asiatic black bears had spent the past 12 years living side by side in separate cages at the back of a warehouse filled with timber logs, copper pipes, and empty oil barrels. Illegal farms like this exist throughout Vietnam, where more than 1,000 bears still live in captivity.  

Moon bears, as they’re often called because of their crescent-shaped tuft of cream-colored chest hair, are prized in some parts of Asia. The bears are snatched from the forest for their bile, a yellow liquid that helps digest fat. Bile has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine to treat a variety of conditions, ranging from liver problems to sore throats. People who harvest the liquid use needles to extract it from a bear’s gallbladder, the organ that stores bile. The process is a painful one and can severely harm a bear’s health.

Bazan paced in circles, growling softly. It was a spring morning in An Khê, a town in central Vietnam. But the zinc roof over Bazan’s copper cage only made the 90-degree heat worse. Someone had stuck a long spoon with honey through the bars, but she was too agitated to notice. A small crowd had gathered in front of her cage. In Bazan’s experience, that was never a good thing. People often signaled harm.

But this time, people meant help. The group I was part of that morning had come to rescue Bazan and her friend Wendles. The two Asiatic black bears had spent the past 12 years in captivity. They lived side by side in separate cages at the back of a warehouse. They were surrounded by timber logs, copper pipes, and empty oil barrels. Illegal farms like this exist throughout Vietnam. More than 1,000 bears still live in captivity in the country. 

Asiatic black bears are also called moon bears because of their crescent-shaped tuft of cream-colored chest hair. They’re prized in some parts of Asia. The bears are snatched from the forest for their bile. Bile is a yellow liquid that helps digest fat. It has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine to treat many conditions, ranging from liver problems to sore throats. People who harvest the liquid use needles to extract it from a bear’s gallbladder. That’s the organ that stores bile. The process is a painful one. It can severely harm a bear’s health.

Although the Vietnamese government has banned bear-bile farming since 2005, hundreds of small bear farms exist, with one or two bears each, says Tuan Bendixsen. He’s the director of Animals Asia, a charity that’s working to end the illegal practice. On farms, the bears are kept in appalling conditions.

“Many of the bears are in the dark, with no access to natural light. They don’t have access to water and are often fed watery gruel that undoubtedly leaves them feeling constantly hungry,” says Weng Yan Ng, a veterinarian at Animals Asia who was on the rescue mission. “When we find them, they’re often sitting amongst rusting metal and feces on the cage floor.”

Bazan’s 5-by-5-foot cage, although barren, wasn’t the worst that Ng and Bendixsen have seen. Their organization works with the Vietnamese government to negotiate the release of bears from illegal farms. Quoc Viet Le, the owner of a timber construction company, had purchased Bazan and Wendles more than a decade ago from local indigenous people. But as we stood in Le’s warehouse, he told me how he now wanted to give the bears up for compassionate reasons, out of respect for his elder son who was training to become a Buddhist monk.

The Vietnamese government banned bear-bile farming in 2005. But hundreds of small bear farms still exist with one or two bears each, says Tuan Bendixsen. He’s the director of Animals Asia, a charity that’s working to end the illegal practice. On farms, the bears are kept in awful conditions.

“Many of the bears are in the dark, with no access to natural light. They don’t have access to water and are often fed watery gruel that likely leaves them feeling constantly hungry,” says Weng Yan Ng. She’s a veterinarian at Animals Asia who was on the rescue mission. “When we find them, they’re often sitting amongst rusting metal and dung on the cage floor.”

Bazan’s 5-by-5-foot cage wasn’t the worst that Ng and Bendixsen have seen. Their organization works with the Vietnamese government to free bears from illegal farms. Quoc Viet Le purchased Bazan and Wendles more than 10 years ago from local indigenous people. He owns a timber construction company. As we stood in Le’s warehouse, he told me how he now wanted to give the bears up out of compassion. He wanted to release them out of respect for his son, who was training to become a Buddhist monk.    

Meanwhile, Quine and her team get busy planning nutritious meals rich in fruits and vegetables. Coconuts are a favorite treat in the hot weather. Once the quarantine period is over, the bears are slowly integrated alongside the other rescued bears in the sanctuary.

About 160 bears live in small groups in bear houses, which open onto grassy enclosures filled with swings, hammocks, and other climbing structures. Workers at the sanctuary rotate the small structures twice daily, hiding food and other treats in them to keep the bears stimulated.

“We try to give them a chance to be bears again, to get back what they lost on the farm,” says Quine. It’s a sentiment that many at Animals Asia share. “The best part of my job is seeing a bear become healthy, grow in confidence, make friends, and begin to realize that they can relax and sleep in the sun, because no one will hurt them again,” says Ng.

Meanwhile, Quine and her team get busy planning nutritious meals of fruits and vegetables. Coconuts are a favorite treat in the hot weather. Once the quarantine period is over, the bears are slowly added to areas with the other rescued bears in the sanctuary.

About 160 bears live in small groups in bear houses. The houses open onto grassy enclosures filled with swings, hammocks, and other climbing structures. Workers at the sanctuary rotate the small structures twice a day. They hide food and other treats in them to keep the bears stimulated.

“We try to give them a chance to be bears again, to get back what they lost on the farm,” says Quine. Helping these bears is a goal everyone at Animals Asia share. “The best part of my job is seeing a bear become healthy, grow in confidence, make friends, and begin to realize that they can relax and sleep in the sun, because no one will hurt them again,” says Ng.