In the 90s, the consumption of bear bile in Vietnam was popularised as traditional medicine. Bears are kept in bear bile extraction facilities, so called "bear bile farms". It is estimated that over 4300 bears were sourced from the forests in Vietnam to be kept in these torture facilities in the early 2000s. Today, over 300 individuals have been rescued and provided sanctuary, however, over 250 remain in these facilities, meaning that 3500+ individual bears perished after being exploited, trapped in tiny cages.
In 2018 I started my collaboration with the non-governamental organisation Free the Bears and in 2019 I moved to Vietnam to further assist the rescue of these bears and to support the development of the Cat Tien Bear Sanctuary. It is the effort of organisations like Free the Bears that provides a new opportunity to these amazing animals to thrive and finally, be bears.
All the help is welcome. There are multiple ways to support Free the Bears, please check freethebears.org
This photo collection refers to assessment visits where we were allowed to inspect the bears' wellbeing and attempt to convince the owners to bring the bears to our care.
