Owner donates five black bears to rescue centre
Charity Animal Asia received five Himalayan black bears from a farm in the southern province of Tien Giang on August 27 which will be transferred to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre.
The bears are in bad health after 20 years in cages. Two bears may be blind or have cataracts and another one may lose half of its tongue. They also have to eat unsuitable food for a long time and have tooth decay.
The NGO is quickly completing procedures with the Forest Protection Department, the forest ranger unit in Tien Giang and the farm owner. Veterinarians and specialists also arrived at the farm to prepare for the trip. Dr. Mandala Hunter and nurse Sarah Donald checked on the bears' health and concluded that they could be transferred in cages. One bear, however, may be anaesthetised for the trip.
The Animals Asia has rescued a total 198 bears in Vietnam. About 178 of them are being taken care of at Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. It is estimated that there are still 800 bears kept at private farms while only a few hundred are left in the wild.
The bears were kept in Tien Giang Province
The bears are in bad health after 20 years in cages. Two bears may be blind or have cataracts and another one may lose half of its tongue. They also have to eat unsuitable food for a long time and have tooth decay.
The NGO is quickly completing procedures with the Forest Protection Department, the forest ranger unit in Tien Giang and the farm owner. Veterinarians and specialists also arrived at the farm to prepare for the trip. Dr. Mandala Hunter and nurse Sarah Donald checked on the bears' health and concluded that they could be transferred in cages. One bear, however, may be anaesthetised for the trip.
Dr. Mandala Hunter checks on the bears
The Animals Asia has rescued a total 198 bears in Vietnam. About 178 of them are being taken care of at Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. It is estimated that there are still 800 bears kept at private farms while only a few hundred are left in the wild.
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