Safeguarding the lives of Vietnam’s Moon Bears After the Shutdown of the Bear Bile Industry

Bear bile farming is a practice that involves the extraction of bile from the gallbladders of living bears, typically Asiatic black bears or “moon bears.” The practice of using bear bile in traditional medicine dates back thousands of years in Asia. However, the commercial farming of bears for bile extraction began in the 1980s in Vietnam and other parts of Asia. The method was developed CCF 2024 23 to supply the demand for bear bile without having to kill wild bears, which were being hunted to near extinction. But moon bears remain the most trafficked bear in the world.

Bear bile farming involves keeping bears in small cages, often referred to as "crush cages," where they have limited movement. The bile is extracted through various methods that cause significant pain and suffering to the bears. In 2017, the nonprofit Animals Asia signed an exclusive agreement with the Vietnamese government to work together to end bear bile farming in the country. Since then, the government has been working on stricter enforcement and closing loopholes that allow the practice to continue, with a definitive end to bear bile farming coming in 2026.

Animals Asia, founded by Jill Robinson in 1998 in Hong Kong and dedicated to ending animal cruelty across the continent, has been instrumental in rescuing bears from bile farms and providing them with sanctuary in Vietnam as well as China. These sanctuaries offer medical care, rehabilitation, and a safe environment where bears can live out their lives free from suffering. With their first sanctuary in Tam Dao full of rescued bears and 250 more known bears in captivity, a second sanctuary, the Bach Ma Bear Rescue Centre, opened in 2023. Its double bear house and additional infrastructure coming in late 2024 will be able to accommodate around 60 more bears this year.

CCF is investing $600,000 for the second phase of sanctuary construction, including materials and labor for a third double bear house and education building, fencing, trucks and other equipment and materials, to be completed by Q1 2025.

Impact Overview:

• Investment: $600,000 pledged in 2024

• Impact: In 2024, facilities to house 60 more rescued Asiatic black bears this year