Fw: VIETNAMESE BEAR FARMS

[Guest guest]

Vietnam promises to get rid of bear farms

 

Thu Mar 10,12:17 PM ET Science - AFP

 

HANOI (AFP) - Vietnam took steps towards closing the country's bile

farms, where thousands of bears spend their lives languishing in cramped

cages while the fluid is extracted for medicinal purposes, wildlife

advocates and a government official said.

 

The World Society for the Protection of Animals announced it signed an

agreement last month with Hanoi under which the government will establish a

task force to close the bile farms.

 

The agreement also " outlines government plans for the registering and

microchipping of all bears in captivity and phasing out breeding of bears

(for) farms, " the group said in a statement.

 

Bile farms are illegal in Vietnam but the government rarely cracks

down on the operations or enforces a ban on the capture of wild bears.

 

The UN-recognized group believes about 3,000 bears are currently kept

in farms in Vietnam.

 

There is also no clear strategy to deal with bears rescued from

shuttered farms -- some of which are sick or incapable of being released

back into the wild.

 

The agreement makes reference to a " bear rescue center " to be

developed jointly with the government in southern Cat Tien national park.

 

A Ministry of Agriculture official confirmed Thursday that the

agreement had been signed but said no timeframe had been given for the task

force to be formed and farms closed.

 

Experts admit bear bile combats ailments like fever, liver complaints

and sore eyes but they also say much cheaper and equally effective herbal

and synthetic remedies are available.

 

Thousands of bears are kept in hundreds of farms across China, Korea

and Vietnam to meet the demand for bile -- much of which, the wildlife group

said, is illegally exported in traditional medicines, shampoo and wine.

 

The agreement " could be the beginning of the end of the bear farming

industry as the only other countries that still tolerate this form of

cruelty are China and Korea, " said the group's campaign director Leah

Garces.