URGENT ACTION TO SAVE VIETNAM BEARS
- by: Caringlm
- recipient: The Provincial government of Quang Ninh
From WSPA International website:
" 7 May 2008: The fate of 80 illegally held and endangered Asiatic Black bears hang in the balance as Vietnamese Authorities decide whether or not to remove them from cruel bear farms.
In 2005 Vietnam announced their intention to phase out bear farming and introduced a law that stated any bears found without microchips in bear farms will be confiscated. WSPA worked with Vietnam%u2019s Forest Protection Unit, to micro-chip all of the bears in the country, and monitor the farms to ensure that no new bears enter the industry.
These 80 bears, could be subjected to extreme pain and suffering during the daily bile extraction, which is completely unnecessary as alternatives exist.
Gosling added %u201CAn alarming new discovery has caused us even more concern as there seems to be a growing tourist industry around bear farming in the Quang Ninh province with tourists visiting the cruel farms to consume bear bile and meat and see demonstrations of the extraction process. The Government has to act now to ensure bear farming really does end in the country.%u201D
Please note - rescued bears would be placed with Animals Asia Foundation for rehabilitation and lidetime sanctuary.
Update, 23 May 2008: WSPA representatives met last week with officials from Quang Ninh Provincial Government, urging them to ensure that the bears are confiscated and placed into a sanctuary. In addition we offered our help to the government to facilitate the confiscation.
Justin Gosling, WSPA%u2019s Wildlife Programme Manager for Asia, said:
%u201CA final decision on the fate of the bears has still not been made despite the 15 May deadline passing, and while this is frustrating, it does mean that there is still time to write to the Vietnamese embassies to voice your concerns. Vietnamese media are urging the authorities to take firm action, and with international pressure we may be able to ensure that these bears live the remainder of their lives in sanctuary.%u201D "
Caring lm Update: June 3 - I have been in contact with AAF and as yet no news re possible release.
If you are concerned for these bears you can email your Vietnam embassy as soon as possible
Use the link below to find your embassy:
http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-of/Vietnam#8133
We the undersigned:
Are very pleased to hear that Vietnam has established a sanctuary with Animals Asia Foundation to assist with the rehabilitation and ongoing care of bears released from bear farms in Vietnam. It is encouraging that the government has recognised that this is a cruel and unnecessary practice and is leading the way in change.
We would ask that you urgently pass on a request to your government to release 80 bears currently being held illegally on bear farms. We understand the decision on the confiscation of these bears is to be made by the Provincial government of Quang Ninh, who are currently in the process of deciding the fate of these bears.
The recent rescue of bears at Cheng Du, China, by AAF illustrated the extreme hardships being suffered by these bears and we urge the government to immediately act to release these bears into the care of AAF.
Please pass on as a matter of urgency to your government as we understand the decision is in the process of being made.
yours sincerely
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