Saving helpless baby bear cubs in Vietnam
On January 9th, 2019, Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), funded by World Animal Protection, worked with local Vietnamese law enforcement in an operation leading to the rescue of two baby bears, barely old enough to open their eyes, from a wildlife trader in the Hai Phoung province of Vietnam.
Thanks to the quick actions of ENV and the support of World Animal Protection, they have a chance of growing up happy, healthy and safe having been handed over to the Four Paws bear sanctuary in nearby Ninh Binh.
Acting on intelligence provided to them, ENV contacted the police to let them know about the planned illegal sale of these vulnerable cubs, who rushed to rescue the bears and bring them to safety.
The seller – a Vietnamese national – arrived at a café in the town with a small carry case, more typically used for transporting domestic pets. It was here that she was expecting to illegally exchange the cubs for a substantial sum of money. Instead, thanks to the coordination of ENV, the authorities were waiting for her.
At such a young age, and still reliant on their mother for survival and healthy development, there is no telling what could have happened to these poor cubs had ENV not acted quickly. If they had survived and been sold on, what lay ahead for them was a life of pain and misery - raised motherless and in squalid conditions until they were old enough to be used as commodities in the horrific bear bile industry – a fate similar to what we suspect their mother is currently enduring
We can't undo the trauma these baby bears must have already endured during their short lives, but thanks to the quick actions of ENV and the support of World Animal Protection, they have a chance of growing up happy, healthy and safe having been handed over to the Four Paws bear sanctuary in nearby Ninh Binh. Here, they will likely be hand-reared until they are strong enough to live out their lives in their sanctuary. It’s an outcome that couldn’t be further away from the bleak existence they would have lived through without ENVs intervention – and the help of World Animal Protections supporters.
This rescue shows there's still more work to be done to end the cruel bear bile industry. Find out more and see how you could help make a difference today.
