Ninh Binh (Vietnam), 16 May 2019 - Two bear cubs rescued from wildlife traffickers have made a remarkable recovery in the care of international animal protection organisation FOUR PAWS, and have taken their first steps outdoors.

Mi and Tam had a very bad start to their young lives. At the age of only a few weeks, cubs Mi and Tam, were snatched from their mother and fell into the hands of unscrupulous wildlife smugglers. The illegal trade with the two bear babies was stopped at the last minute thanks to the cooperation of the Vietnamese police and local authorities, Education for Nature-Vietnam, Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, and FOUR PAWS.

Extremely dehydrated and in a totally weakened state, weighing only 900 grams each, Mi and Tam were confiscated by the authorities in Hai Phong province at the beginning of January 2019 and handed over to FOUR PAWS and its bear sanctuary in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. 

Although a FOUR PAWS team immediately provided the two bear babies with round-the-clock medical care and milk substitutes, the situation was very bad for them for a long time. All the more reason to be happy that the two cubs, each weighing a proud 19 kilograms, are now out of the woods.

Space for 100 abused bears in BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh

The international animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS officially opened its BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh on the 7th of March 2019. Located in Ninh Binh Province of Vietnam, the new sanctuary already provides a species-appropriate home for seventeen bears, including fifteen former bile bears. In the past, they have regularly been illegally drained of bile, which is considered a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine. There are still an estimated 800 bile bears suffering on around 250 bear farms. FOUR PAWS therefore calls on the Vietnamese government to press ahead with the closure of bear farms and to place the animals in sanctuaries.

The BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh will have space for 100 abused bears once all construction work has been completed. Not only will it provide a species-appropriate home for former bile bears and victims of wildlife smuggling, it will also serve as an educational centre for animal and species conservation in Vietnam. Built to the latest standards, the centre currently has its own veterinary clinic, two bear houses, a quarantine station and four outdoor enclosures.

On 17 May 2019, a FOUR PAWS team will rescue 3 bile bears from a farm in Binh Duong Province and bring them to the BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh.  The animal welfare organisation plans to release more suffering animals from their tiny cages in the coming months. Journalists have the opportunity to accompany rescues.