Approximately 1,300 bears live in cramped metal cages in Vietnam. They suffer, and some still have their bile cruelly extracted. The Vietnamese government has made bear bile extraction illegal and has taken commendable steps over the last decade to reduce bear farming. But more urgent action is needed to save the bears and end bear farming in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese government must now finish the job and end bear farming for good!
I call on the Vietnamese government to protect bears and:
- Take all further necessary steps to stop bears being illegally farmed for bile extraction.
- Ensure the health and welfare of bears currently kept on farms is strictly monitored and noncompliance results in confiscations and penalties.
- Close all bear farms by 2020 and ensure the transfer of all bears to rescue centres and sanctuaries.
