Rescued bear transferred to Animals Asia’s Vietnam sanctuary
A rescued moon bear has been transferred to Animals Asia’s Vietnam sanctuary, having been confiscated from a trader by police in Sa Thay district of Kon Tum Province, in Central Vietnam, close to the Cambodian border.
The bear was held by police for over a year as evidence against the trader, and weighed less than 30kg at the time of rescue. It’s thought likely the trader planned to sell the bear into the bear bile trade.
Now weighing approximately 80kg, this male moon bear — nicknamed “Bon Bon” — arrived at our rescue centre on 13 December 2012 after a three-day, 1,200km journey from Sa Thay. During the long trip, as well as scheduled, nutritious meals, Bon Bon devoured 30kg of watermelon!
An initial health check by Animals Asia’s veterinary team revealed no major health concerns, but Bon Bon will be monitored carefully and will undergo a full health check in the near future.
Bon Bon before rescue, in the care of Sa Thay police:
Transfer and initial health check by Animals Asia's vet team:
“We welcome Bon Bon to our family just in time for Christmas. The Sa Thay police were extremely helpful in ensuring the transfer went smoothly, even assisting with loading him into our truck. We also thank the Sa Thay Forest Protection Department who ensured an efficient process with no hold-ups.”
Tuan Bendixsen, Vietnam Director, Animals Asia
There is a lot of work to be done to rehabilitate Bon Bon after the psychological damage he has suffered. He is timid and nervous, especially when there are people around and he roars when bear workers enter the quarantine area. Sadly, he currently also displays a number of disturbing repetitive behaviours and refuses to eat whenever humans are present.
Tuan continues:
“Despite the eviction threat, Animals Asia has taken on this new bear as we are his best hope. There are four other wildlife rescue centres that take bears but they are small facilities and overcrowded. We made the decision to help, as we had one den spare that would be able to house this newly-rescued bear. While the Prime Minister is still weighing his decision, we cannot shirk our responsibility towards the country’s endangered species of bears and even though we are in a precarious situation, it’s clear that this bear is better off with us than elsewhere.”
