Collage of moon bears featuring different facial expressions and poses, highlighting their unique personalities and features.

The biggest bear rescue in history

101 bears. Eight years. One incredible journey to freedom

In the summer of 2021, Animals Asia moved 101 moon bears from an ex-bile farm in Nanning, China to our Chengdu sanctury.

The three-day, 1,200 km journey was eight years in the making – and nothing like it had ever been attempted before. There were times we thought it would never happen.

But with love and support from across the world, all 101 bears made it safely home in what became the biggest bear rescue in history.

The story begins

In 2013, a bear bile farmer in Nanning, China, made a remarkable decision. He no longer wanted to profit from the bear bile farming industry. Instead, he wanted to give his 100-plus moon bears a second chance at life. He called Animals Asia.

We dreamed of turning the farm into a sanctuary. But that dream was short-lived. Just 18 months later, the property was sold to developers. We continued to care for the bears, but were left with only one option: to move them to our sanctuary in Chengdu, over 1,200 km away.

Veterinary team performing a medical procedure on a bear lying on the floor in a clinic setting.
Long row of bear enclosures in a rescue facility, showing clean and organized housing.
Caregiver feeding a bear cub with a bottle inside a barred enclosure at a sanctuary.
Two women observing a bear in an indoor enclosure at an animal rescue facility.

Years in limbo

Over the next seven years, travel permits were delayed. Progress stalled. The bears remained onsite. And so did we.

Every day, our expert bear carer team was there, giving each bear the best life possible while we fought for their future.

Then, in early 2020, Covid-19 brought the world to a standstill. The bears’ move was stalled once more.

Moon bear looking up beside bamboo and leaves in a sanctuary enclosure.
Moon bear emerging from a concrete den with hay bedding and a raised platform nearby.
Sanctuary worker pushing a cart filled with food containers and bottles along an outdoor pathway.
Close-up of a moon bear with a distinctive chest mark, raising a paw in a natural enclosure.

The move of a lifetime

Finally, in April 2021, the green light came. With help from local authorities, we secured the permits to move all 101 bears to our sanctuary in Chengdu.

It was the largest bear rescue mission ever attempted. Over three trips in April and May, each convoy of trucks was on the road for two days.. Each truck carried four to five bears, each with their own care plan. 

Our dedicated team travelled every kilometre with them. They carefully monitored each bear’s condition, ensuring they were well fed, watered and medicated, and giving them reassurance throughout the long journey. CCTV cameras were installed in some trucks to monitor particularly at-risk bears.

Workers moving moon bears in red transport cages inside a sanctuary facility using equipment.
Sanctuary worker pulling a red cage with a moon bear inside along an outdoor path.
Person squatting beside a moon bear in a red transport cage on the back of a truck.
Caregiver feeding a moon bear through the bars of a red transport cage at a sanctuary.

Home at last

On 27 May 2021, the gates of the Nanning farm closed forever, and all bears were finally home at our sanctuary.

Since then, some of the bears have sadly passed away. But they spent their final days or years surrounded by love, nature and friends. Free from pain. Free to rest. Free to simply be bears.

Moon bear interacting with a suspended wooden enrichment toy in an outdoor sanctuary area.
Two moon bears swimming in a pond surrounded by greenery and rocks at a sanctuary.
Moon bear eating enrichment food from a hanging puzzle feeder in a grassy sanctuary enclosure.
Two moon bears relaxing together in a metal tub in a natural sanctuary enclosure with trees.

Smudge: the last cub born at Nanning

Smudge was the last cub born at Nanning bear farm.

When Animals Asia took over the bears’ care in 2014, we found her crying, trembling and wide-eyed with fear.

Now safe at our Chengdu sanctuary, her new life has begun.

Read Smudge's amazing journey to freedom