FWD: (VN) Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed for Bile

[Guest guest]

Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed for Bile

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-20-voa21.cfm

By Matt Steinglass

Hanoi

20 September 2006

 

An animal rights organization has reached an agreement with Vietnam's

government to build a bear sanctuary near Hanoi. The refuge will

house bears rescued from farms where their bile is harvested,

painfully, for use in traditional medicine. The move is part of

Vietnamese government efforts to gradually abolish the practice.

 

Ursus Selenarctos Thibetanus, the Asiatic black bear, inhabits

mountain woodlands from Pakistan to Japan. It eats mainly fruit,

nuts and small mammals.

 

But this bear behind a house on the outskirts of Hanoi is eating a

slop made of honey and herbs. It, and the nine other bears on this

farm, live in cages just large enough to lie down in. Like thousands

of other black bears in Vietnam, they are kept for their bile, which

followers of Vietnamese and Chinese traditional health practices

believe has powerful medicinal effects.

 

The liver bile is extracted every few months through painful surgery,

and the bears usually die after a few years. The Vietnamese

government has banned the practice, but it still goes on, as Jill

Robinson of the animal rights group Animals Asia explains.

 

" In fact, since 1992 it's been an illegal practice, but obviously

still, there are four thousand bears incarcerated on farms, and in

many instances we believe that their bile is still being extracted, "

she said.

 

Last week, Animals Asia reached an agreement with Vietnam's Forest

Protection Department, or F.P.D., to build a bear rescue center in

Tam Dao National Park, outside Hanoi. The center will open in

January 2007, according to an F.P.D. official.

 

The official, who requested anonymity for procedural reasons, says

the center will give the bears check-ups and release the healthy ones

into protected forests. The more fragile animals will be taken care

of for life.

 

But as Robinson explains, the center's reach will be limited.

 

" The ultimate aim of the project, at least, is to rescue 200 bears,

although with 4,000 bears still in the country on these horrible

farms, it's quite a challenge, " she added.

 

Robinson knows how many trapped bears there are because the F.P.D.

has implanted microchips in them over the past two years so their

whereabouts can be monitored. That program, sponsored by the World

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has largely ended

the practice of buying and selling bears.

 

But it has not stopped those who already own bears from harvesting

bile. Do Thi Hai is a bear farm manager.

 

Hai says she keeps 10 bears, and sells their bile to long-standing

customers. Advertisements for bear bile are easy to find in

Vietnamese newspapers and on street-side signs.

 

The F.P.D. says all such harvesting, selling, and advertising is

illegal. It has mounted a campaign, including TV shows, to educate

the Vietnamese public about the poor treatment and bad food the

animals receive.

 

Fears for the welfare of the animals have increased recently because

farming them has become less lucrative.

 

Hai says it now costs her more to take care of the bears than she

makes from selling bile.

 

With bile harvesting less profitable, there is concern bear owners

will simply stop feeding the animals.

 

The F.P.D. says this should not happen because bear farmers signed

contracts when the microchips were implanted, promising to take care

of their bears for life.

 

The agency rules out giving the farmers compensation as an incentive

to give up their bears.

 

The F.P.D. official says bear farmers are rich, having made a lot of

money over the years.

 

Animals Asia's Robinson also says that, since the practice has been

illegal for more than 10 years, farmers have had plenty of time to

get out of the business and so do not merit compensation.

 

Still, many older Vietnamese continue to use bear bile. Dr. Tran

Huong is a physician and an expert on traditional medicine. She says

the substance is believed to be effective against everything from

sore eyes to liver disease.

 

" Most people use this one after you have an accident, or when you

play tennis, you have some strain, " she said. " And the second one,

people use this one for someone have some tumor in the body. And

also for some kind of treatment for someone all the time have problem

with blood circulation. Because only this kind of bile have some

kind of special ingredient. But another kind of bile from cat, from

other animal, it's not the same ingredient. "

 

As in much of Asia, Vietnamese traditional medicine is ancient and

deeply rooted in the national culture. But the surgical extraction

of bear bile is a modern practice. And, in Robinson's view, it does

not have to be a permanent one.

 

" Once the imagery of bears in cages being punctured with spinal

needles to pump out their bile becomes very obvious, I don't think

there'll be too many people, especially when there are alternatives,

that will say, 'Hey, we really want this tradition to continue,' "

said Robinson.

 

But users of traditional medicine may be hard to win over. And

educating farmers about the need to care for their bears and stop

harvesting their bile will be a slow process. Animals Asia expects

to be rescuing and rehabilitating bears in Vietnam for some time.

 

Jill Robinson MBE

Founder & CEO

Animals Asia Foundation

 

ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

http://www.animalsasia.org

[Guest guest]

Kudos to AAF and to Jill and her wonderful team for the sustained campaign

that has resulted in this major breakthrough.

 

S. Chinny Krishna

Blue Cross of India

 

 

 

Dr John Wedderburn [john]

Saturday, September 23, 2006 9:18 PM

aapn

FWD: (VN) Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed

for Bile

 

 

Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed for Bile

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-20-voa21.cfm

By Matt Steinglass

Hanoi

20 September 2006

 

An animal rights organization has reached an agreement with Vietnam's

government to build a bear sanctuary near Hanoi. The refuge will

house bears rescued from farms where their bile is harvested,

painfully, for use in traditional medicine. The move is part of

Vietnamese government efforts to gradually abolish the practice.

 

Ursus Selenarctos Thibetanus, the Asiatic black bear, inhabits

mountain woodlands from Pakistan to Japan. It eats mainly fruit,

nuts and small mammals.

 

But this bear behind a house on the outskirts of Hanoi is eating a

slop made of honey and herbs. It, and the nine other bears on this

farm, live in cages just large enough to lie down in. Like thousands

of other black bears in Vietnam, they are kept for their bile, which

followers of Vietnamese and Chinese traditional health practices

believe has powerful medicinal effects.

 

The liver bile is extracted every few months through painful surgery,

and the bears usually die after a few years. The Vietnamese

government has banned the practice, but it still goes on, as Jill

Robinson of the animal rights group Animals Asia explains.

 

" In fact, since 1992 it's been an illegal practice, but obviously

still, there are four thousand bears incarcerated on farms, and in

many instances we believe that their bile is still being extracted, "

she said.

 

Last week, Animals Asia reached an agreement with Vietnam's Forest

Protection Department, or F.P.D., to build a bear rescue center in

Tam Dao National Park, outside Hanoi. The center will open in

January 2007, according to an F.P.D. official.

 

The official, who requested anonymity for procedural reasons, says

the center will give the bears check-ups and release the healthy ones

into protected forests. The more fragile animals will be taken care

of for life.

 

But as Robinson explains, the center's reach will be limited.

 

" The ultimate aim of the project, at least, is to rescue 200 bears,

although with 4,000 bears still in the country on these horrible

farms, it's quite a challenge, " she added.

 

Robinson knows how many trapped bears there are because the F.P.D.

has implanted microchips in them over the past two years so their

whereabouts can be monitored. That program, sponsored by the World

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has largely ended

the practice of buying and selling bears.

 

But it has not stopped those who already own bears from harvesting

bile. Do Thi Hai is a bear farm manager.

 

Hai says she keeps 10 bears, and sells their bile to long-standing

customers. Advertisements for bear bile are easy to find in

Vietnamese newspapers and on street-side signs.

 

The F.P.D. says all such harvesting, selling, and advertising is

illegal. It has mounted a campaign, including TV shows, to educate

the Vietnamese public about the poor treatment and bad food the

animals receive.

 

Fears for the welfare of the animals have increased recently because

farming them has become less lucrative.

 

Hai says it now costs her more to take care of the bears than she

makes from selling bile.

 

With bile harvesting less profitable, there is concern bear owners

will simply stop feeding the animals.

 

The F.P.D. says this should not happen because bear farmers signed

contracts when the microchips were implanted, promising to take care

of their bears for life.

 

The agency rules out giving the farmers compensation as an incentive

to give up their bears.

 

The F.P.D. official says bear farmers are rich, having made a lot of

money over the years.

 

Animals Asia's Robinson also says that, since the practice has been

illegal for more than 10 years, farmers have had plenty of time to

get out of the business and so do not merit compensation.

 

Still, many older Vietnamese continue to use bear bile. Dr. Tran

Huong is a physician and an expert on traditional medicine. She says

the substance is believed to be effective against everything from

sore eyes to liver disease.

 

" Most people use this one after you have an accident, or when you

play tennis, you have some strain, " she said. " And the second one,

people use this one for someone have some tumor in the body. And

also for some kind of treatment for someone all the time have problem

with blood circulation. Because only this kind of bile have some

kind of special ingredient. But another kind of bile from cat, from

other animal, it's not the same ingredient. "

 

As in much of Asia, Vietnamese traditional medicine is ancient and

deeply rooted in the national culture. But the surgical extraction

of bear bile is a modern practice. And, in Robinson's view, it does

not have to be a permanent one.

 

" Once the imagery of bears in cages being punctured with spinal

needles to pump out their bile becomes very obvious, I don't think

there'll be too many people, especially when there are alternatives,

that will say, 'Hey, we really want this tradition to continue,' "

said Robinson.

 

But users of traditional medicine may be hard to win over. And

educating farmers about the need to care for their bears and stop

harvesting their bile will be a slow process. Animals Asia expects

to be rescuing and rehabilitating bears in Vietnam for some time.

 

Jill Robinson MBE

Founder & CEO

Animals Asia Foundation

 

ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

http://www.animalsasia.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature

on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at:

aapn

Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at

aapn

 

[Guest guest]

thank you Chinny - challenges for all, but positive steps. Special

mention to WSPA - World Society for the Protection of Animals (not as

their name incorrectly quoted below) for actioning the microchipping

programme in Vietnam.

 

Also despite what the story say, the Animals Asia Sanctuary anticipates

caring for the rescued bears for life. Jillx

 

Jill Robinson MBE

Founder & CEO

Animals Asia Foundation

 

ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

http://www.animalsasia.org

 

 

 

Dr.Chinny Krishna wrote:

> Kudos to AAF and to Jill and her wonderful team for the sustained campaign

> that has resulted in this major breakthrough.

>

> S. Chinny Krishna

> Blue Cross of India

>

>

>

> Dr John Wedderburn [john]

> Saturday, September 23, 2006 9:18 PM

> aapn

> FWD: (VN) Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed

> for Bile

>

>

> Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed for Bile

> http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-20-voa21.cfm

> By Matt Steinglass

> Hanoi

> 20 September 2006

>

> An animal rights organization has reached an agreement with Vietnam's

> government to build a bear sanctuary near Hanoi. The refuge will

> house bears rescued from farms where their bile is harvested,

> painfully, for use in traditional medicine. The move is part of

> Vietnamese government efforts to gradually abolish the practice.

>

> Ursus Selenarctos Thibetanus, the Asiatic black bear, inhabits

> mountain woodlands from Pakistan to Japan. It eats mainly fruit,

> nuts and small mammals.

>

> But this bear behind a house on the outskirts of Hanoi is eating a

> slop made of honey and herbs. It, and the nine other bears on this

> farm, live in cages just large enough to lie down in. Like thousands

> of other black bears in Vietnam, they are kept for their bile, which

> followers of Vietnamese and Chinese traditional health practices

> believe has powerful medicinal effects.

>

> The liver bile is extracted every few months through painful surgery,

> and the bears usually die after a few years. The Vietnamese

> government has banned the practice, but it still goes on, as Jill

> Robinson of the animal rights group Animals Asia explains.

>

> " In fact, since 1992 it's been an illegal practice, but obviously

> still, there are four thousand bears incarcerated on farms, and in

> many instances we believe that their bile is still being extracted, "

> she said.

>

> Last week, Animals Asia reached an agreement with Vietnam's Forest

> Protection Department, or F.P.D., to build a bear rescue center in

> Tam Dao National Park, outside Hanoi. The center will open in

> January 2007, according to an F.P.D. official.

>

> The official, who requested anonymity for procedural reasons, says

> the center will give the bears check-ups and release the healthy ones

> into protected forests. The more fragile animals will be taken care

> of for life.

>

> But as Robinson explains, the center's reach will be limited.

>

> " The ultimate aim of the project, at least, is to rescue 200 bears,

> although with 4,000 bears still in the country on these horrible

> farms, it's quite a challenge, " she added.

>

> Robinson knows how many trapped bears there are because the F.P.D.

> has implanted microchips in them over the past two years so their

> whereabouts can be monitored. That program, sponsored by the World

> Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has largely ended

> the practice of buying and selling bears.

>

> But it has not stopped those who already own bears from harvesting

> bile. Do Thi Hai is a bear farm manager.

>

> Hai says she keeps 10 bears, and sells their bile to long-standing

> customers. Advertisements for bear bile are easy to find in

> Vietnamese newspapers and on street-side signs.

>

> The F.P.D. says all such harvesting, selling, and advertising is

> illegal. It has mounted a campaign, including TV shows, to educate

> the Vietnamese public about the poor treatment and bad food the

> animals receive.

>

> Fears for the welfare of the animals have increased recently because

> farming them has become less lucrative.

>

> Hai says it now costs her more to take care of the bears than she

> makes from selling bile.

>

> With bile harvesting less profitable, there is concern bear owners

> will simply stop feeding the animals.

>

> The F.P.D. says this should not happen because bear farmers signed

> contracts when the microchips were implanted, promising to take care

> of their bears for life.

>

> The agency rules out giving the farmers compensation as an incentive

> to give up their bears.

>

> The F.P.D. official says bear farmers are rich, having made a lot of

> money over the years.

>

> Animals Asia's Robinson also says that, since the practice has been

> illegal for more than 10 years, farmers have had plenty of time to

> get out of the business and so do not merit compensation.

>

> Still, many older Vietnamese continue to use bear bile. Dr. Tran

> Huong is a physician and an expert on traditional medicine. She says

> the substance is believed to be effective against everything from

> sore eyes to liver disease.

>

> " Most people use this one after you have an accident, or when you

> play tennis, you have some strain, " she said. " And the second one,

> people use this one for someone have some tumor in the body. And

> also for some kind of treatment for someone all the time have problem

> with blood circulation. Because only this kind of bile have some

> kind of special ingredient. But another kind of bile from cat, from

> other animal, it's not the same ingredient. "

>

> As in much of Asia, Vietnamese traditional medicine is ancient and

> deeply rooted in the national culture. But the surgical extraction

> of bear bile is a modern practice. And, in Robinson's view, it does

> not have to be a permanent one.

>

> " Once the imagery of bears in cages being punctured with spinal

> needles to pump out their bile becomes very obvious, I don't think

> there'll be too many people, especially when there are alternatives,

> that will say, 'Hey, we really want this tradition to continue,' "

> said Robinson.

>

> But users of traditional medicine may be hard to win over. And

> educating farmers about the need to care for their bears and stop

> harvesting their bile will be a slow process. Animals Asia expects

> to be rescuing and rehabilitating bears in Vietnam for some time.

>

> Jill Robinson MBE

> Founder & CEO

> Animals Asia Foundation

>

> ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

> Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

> http://www.animalsasia.org

>

>

>

For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature

> on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at:

> aapn

> Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at

> aapn

>

[Guest guest]

Our congratualations to Jill and WSPA for having this exclusive bear sanctuary.

 

Pradeep Kumar Nath,

VSPCA

 

Jill Robinson <jrobinson wrote:

thank you Chinny - challenges for all, but positive steps. Special

mention to WSPA - World Society for the Protection of Animals (not as

their name incorrectly quoted below) for actioning the microchipping

programme in Vietnam.

 

Also despite what the story say, the Animals Asia Sanctuary anticipates

caring for the rescued bears for life. Jillx

 

Jill Robinson MBE

Founder & CEO

Animals Asia Foundation

 

ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

http://www.animalsasia.org

 

Dr.Chinny Krishna wrote:

> Kudos to AAF and to Jill and her wonderful team for the sustained campaign

> that has resulted in this major breakthrough.

>

> S. Chinny Krishna

> Blue Cross of India

>

>

>

> Dr John Wedderburn [john]

> Saturday, September 23, 2006 9:18 PM

> aapn

> FWD: (VN) Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed

> for Bile

>

>

> Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed for Bile

> http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-20-voa21.cfm

> By Matt Steinglass

> Hanoi

> 20 September 2006

>

> An animal rights organization has reached an agreement with Vietnam's

> government to build a bear sanctuary near Hanoi. The refuge will

> house bears rescued from farms where their bile is harvested,

> painfully, for use in traditional medicine. The move is part of

> Vietnamese government efforts to gradually abolish the practice.

>

> Ursus Selenarctos Thibetanus, the Asiatic black bear, inhabits

> mountain woodlands from Pakistan to Japan. It eats mainly fruit,

> nuts and small mammals.

>

> But this bear behind a house on the outskirts of Hanoi is eating a

> slop made of honey and herbs. It, and the nine other bears on this

> farm, live in cages just large enough to lie down in. Like thousands

> of other black bears in Vietnam, they are kept for their bile, which

> followers of Vietnamese and Chinese traditional health practices

> believe has powerful medicinal effects.

>

> The liver bile is extracted every few months through painful surgery,

> and the bears usually die after a few years. The Vietnamese

> government has banned the practice, but it still goes on, as Jill

> Robinson of the animal rights group Animals Asia explains.

>

> " In fact, since 1992 it's been an illegal practice, but obviously

> still, there are four thousand bears incarcerated on farms, and in

> many instances we believe that their bile is still being extracted, "

> she said.

>

> Last week, Animals Asia reached an agreement with Vietnam's Forest

> Protection Department, or F.P.D., to build a bear rescue center in

> Tam Dao National Park, outside Hanoi. The center will open in

> January 2007, according to an F.P.D. official.

>

> The official, who requested anonymity for procedural reasons, says

> the center will give the bears check-ups and release the healthy ones

> into protected forests. The more fragile animals will be taken care

> of for life.

>

> But as Robinson explains, the center's reach will be limited.

>

> " The ultimate aim of the project, at least, is to rescue 200 bears,

> although with 4,000 bears still in the country on these horrible

> farms, it's quite a challenge, " she added.

>

> Robinson knows how many trapped bears there are because the F.P.D.

> has implanted microchips in them over the past two years so their

> whereabouts can be monitored. That program, sponsored by the World

> Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has largely ended

> the practice of buying and selling bears.

>

> But it has not stopped those who already own bears from harvesting

> bile. Do Thi Hai is a bear farm manager.

>

> Hai says she keeps 10 bears, and sells their bile to long-standing

> customers. Advertisements for bear bile are easy to find in

> Vietnamese newspapers and on street-side signs.

>

> The F.P.D. says all such harvesting, selling, and advertising is

> illegal. It has mounted a campaign, including TV shows, to educate

> the Vietnamese public about the poor treatment and bad food the

> animals receive.

>

> Fears for the welfare of the animals have increased recently because

> farming them has become less lucrative.

>

> Hai says it now costs her more to take care of the bears than she

> makes from selling bile.

>

> With bile harvesting less profitable, there is concern bear owners

> will simply stop feeding the animals.

>

> The F.P.D. says this should not happen because bear farmers signed

> contracts when the microchips were implanted, promising to take care

> of their bears for life.

>

> The agency rules out giving the farmers compensation as an incentive

> to give up their bears.

>

> The F.P.D. official says bear farmers are rich, having made a lot of

> money over the years.

>

> Animals Asia's Robinson also says that, since the practice has been

> illegal for more than 10 years, farmers have had plenty of time to

> get out of the business and so do not merit compensation.

>

> Still, many older Vietnamese continue to use bear bile. Dr. Tran

> Huong is a physician and an expert on traditional medicine. She says

> the substance is believed to be effective against everything from

> sore eyes to liver disease.

>

> " Most people use this one after you have an accident, or when you

> play tennis, you have some strain, " she said. " And the second one,

> people use this one for someone have some tumor in the body. And

> also for some kind of treatment for someone all the time have problem

> with blood circulation. Because only this kind of bile have some

> kind of special ingredient. But another kind of bile from cat, from

> other animal, it's not the same ingredient. "

>

> As in much of Asia, Vietnamese traditional medicine is ancient and

> deeply rooted in the national culture. But the surgical extraction

> of bear bile is a modern practice. And, in Robinson's view, it does

> not have to be a permanent one.

>

> " Once the imagery of bears in cages being punctured with spinal

> needles to pump out their bile becomes very obvious, I don't think

> there'll be too many people, especially when there are alternatives,

> that will say, 'Hey, we really want this tradition to continue,' "

> said Robinson.

>

> But users of traditional medicine may be hard to win over. And

> educating farmers about the need to care for their bears and stop

> harvesting their bile will be a slow process. Animals Asia expects

> to be rescuing and rehabilitating bears in Vietnam for some time.

>

> Jill Robinson MBE

> Founder & CEO

> Animals Asia Foundation

>

> ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

> Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

> http://www.animalsasia.org

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature

> on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at:

> aapn

> Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at

> aapn

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you Pradeep too - for clarification there are two separate

programmes to help farmed bears in Vietnam: WSPA have overseen the

microchipping of some 4,000 bears. The construction of the Sanctuary

and care of the bears is under Animal Asia.

 

Looking forward to seeing you in January at AFA, Jill

 

Jill Robinson MBE

Founder & CEO

Animals Asia Foundation

 

ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

http://www.animalsasia.org

 

 

 

Pradeep Nath wrote:

> Our congratualations to Jill and WSPA for having this exclusive bear

> sanctuary.

>

> Pradeep Kumar Nath,

> VSPCA

>

> */Jill Robinson <jrobinson/* wrote:

>

> thank you Chinny - challenges for all, but positive steps. Special

> mention to WSPA - World Society for the Protection of Animals (not as

> their name incorrectly quoted below) for actioning the microchipping

> programme in Vietnam.

>

> Also despite what the story say, the Animals Asia Sanctuary

> anticipates

> caring for the rescued bears for life. Jillx

>

> Jill Robinson MBE

> Founder & CEO

> Animals Asia Foundation

>

> ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

> Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or Food "

> http://www.animalsasia.org <http://www.animalsasia.org>

>

> Dr.Chinny Krishna wrote:

> > Kudos to AAF and to Jill and her wonderful team for the

> sustained campaign

> > that has resulted in this major breakthrough.

> >

> > S. Chinny Krishna

> > Blue Cross of India

> >

> >

> >

> > Dr John Wedderburn [john

> <john%40aapn.org>]

> > Saturday, September 23, 2006 9:18 PM

> > aapn <aapn%40>

> > FWD: (VN) Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears

> Farmed

> > for Bile

> >

> >

> > Sanctuary Planned for Vietnamese Bears Farmed for Bile

> > http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-20-voa21.cfm

> <http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-20-voa21.cfm>

> > By Matt Steinglass

> > Hanoi

> > 20 September 2006

> >

> > An animal rights organization has reached an agreement with

> Vietnam's

> > government to build a bear sanctuary near Hanoi. The refuge will

> > house bears rescued from farms where their bile is harvested,

> > painfully, for use in traditional medicine. The move is part of

> > Vietnamese government efforts to gradually abolish the practice.

> >

> > Ursus Selenarctos Thibetanus, the Asiatic black bear, inhabits

> > mountain woodlands from Pakistan to Japan. It eats mainly fruit,

> > nuts and small mammals.

> >

> > But this bear behind a house on the outskirts of Hanoi is eating a

> > slop made of honey and herbs. It, and the nine other bears on this

> > farm, live in cages just large enough to lie down in. Like thousands

> > of other black bears in Vietnam, they are kept for their bile, which

> > followers of Vietnamese and Chinese traditional health practices

> > believe has powerful medicinal effects.

> >

> > The liver bile is extracted every few months through painful

> surgery,

> > and the bears usually die after a few years. The Vietnamese

> > government has banned the practice, but it still goes on, as Jill

> > Robinson of the animal rights group Animals Asia explains.

> >

> > " In fact, since 1992 it's been an illegal practice, but obviously

> > still, there are four thousand bears incarcerated on farms, and in

> > many instances we believe that their bile is still being extracted, "

> > she said.

> >

> > Last week, Animals Asia reached an agreement with Vietnam's Forest

> > Protection Department, or F.P.D., to build a bear rescue center in

> > Tam Dao National Park, outside Hanoi. The center will open in

> > January 2007, according to an F.P.D. official.

> >

> > The official, who requested anonymity for procedural reasons, says

> > the center will give the bears check-ups and release the healthy

> ones

> > into protected forests. The more fragile animals will be taken care

> > of for life.

> >

> > But as Robinson explains, the center's reach will be limited.

> >

> > " The ultimate aim of the project, at least, is to rescue 200 bears,

> > although with 4,000 bears still in the country on these horrible

> > farms, it's quite a challenge, " she added.

> >

> > Robinson knows how many trapped bears there are because the F.P.D.

> > has implanted microchips in them over the past two years so their

> > whereabouts can be monitored. That program, sponsored by the World

> > Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has largely ended

> > the practice of buying and selling bears.

> >

> > But it has not stopped those who already own bears from harvesting

> > bile. Do Thi Hai is a bear farm manager.

> >

> > Hai says she keeps 10 bears, and sells their bile to long-standing

> > customers. Advertisements for bear bile are easy to find in

> > Vietnamese newspapers and on street-side signs.

> >

> > The F.P.D. says all such harvesting, selling, and advertising is

> > illegal. It has mounted a campaign, including TV shows, to educate

> > the Vietnamese public about the poor treatment and bad food the

> > animals receive.

> >

> > Fears for the welfare of the animals have increased recently because

> > farming them has become less lucrative.

> >

> > Hai says it now costs her more to take care of the bears than she

> > makes from selling bile.

> >

> > With bile harvesting less profitable, there is concern bear owners

> > will simply stop feeding the animals.

> >

> > The F.P.D. says this should not happen because bear farmers signed

> > contracts when the microchips were implanted, promising to take care

> > of their bears for life.

> >

> > The agency rules out giving the farmers compensation as an incentive

> > to give up their bears.

> >

> > The F.P.D. official says bear farmers are rich, having made a lot of

> > money over the years.

> >

> > Animals Asia's Robinson also says that, since the practice has been

> > illegal for more than 10 years, farmers have had plenty of time to

> > get out of the business and so do not merit compensation.

> >

> > Still, many older Vietnamese continue to use bear bile. Dr. Tran

> > Huong is a physician and an expert on traditional medicine. She says

> > the substance is believed to be effective against everything from

> > sore eyes to liver disease.

> >

> > " Most people use this one after you have an accident, or when you

> > play tennis, you have some strain, " she said. " And the second one,

> > people use this one for someone have some tumor in the body. And

> > also for some kind of treatment for someone all the time have

> problem

> > with blood circulation. Because only this kind of bile have some

> > kind of special ingredient. But another kind of bile from cat, from

> > other animal, it's not the same ingredient. "

> >

> > As in much of Asia, Vietnamese traditional medicine is ancient and

> > deeply rooted in the national culture. But the surgical extraction

> > of bear bile is a modern practice. And, in Robinson's view, it does

> > not have to be a permanent one.

> >

> > " Once the imagery of bears in cages being punctured with spinal

> > needles to pump out their bile becomes very obvious, I don't think

> > there'll be too many people, especially when there are alternatives,

> > that will say, 'Hey, we really want this tradition to continue,' "

> > said Robinson.

> >

> > But users of traditional medicine may be hard to win over. And

> > educating farmers about the need to care for their bears and stop

> > harvesting their bile will be a slow process. Animals Asia expects

> > to be rescuing and rehabilitating bears in Vietnam for some time.

> >

> > Jill Robinson MBE

> > Founder & CEO

> > Animals Asia Foundation

> >

> > ANIMALS ASIA HAS A BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

> > Find out more about the " China Bear Rescue " and " Friends.....or

> Food "

> > http://www.animalsasia.org <http://www.animalsasia.org>

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the

> search feature

> > on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ <http://www.aapn.org/>

> or search the list archives at:

> > aapn

> <aapn>

> > Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the

> list at

> > aapn <aapn%40>

> >