ANIMALS

Rescue Team Liberates 5 Bears from Cramped Bile Farm Enclosures, Granting Them a New Lease on Life

In collaboration with Vietnamese authorities, the dedicated team of AnimalsAsia rescuers successfully extracted five bears from a bile farm located in Phung Thuong, Vietnam, subsequently relocating these animals to a safe sanctuary.

Image source: AnimalsAsia

Five bears are on the verge of embracing a promising future following their liberation from the confines of a bile farm.

AnimalsAsia, a nonprofit organization, was informed by Vietnamese authorities that a bear bile farmer residing in Phung Thuong, the focal point of bear bile farming in the country, expressed willingness to relinquish ownership of five moon bears. These bears had been held captive in cages at the farm for a minimum of 20 years.

“Bear bile farming is a cruel system designed to extract bile from living bears. Bears are confined permanently to small cages and denied free access to food and water. Here in Vietnam, caged bears are drugged with ketamine before being lassoed to have their bile extracted via a long unsterile needle and electric pump,” Thuy Hoang, a sanctuary manager with AnimalsAsia, told PEOPLE.

For several years, AnimalsAsia has been collaborating closely with Vietnamese authorities to combat the practice of bear bile farming within the country and provide a more compassionate existence for the animals trapped in these farms.

Similar to the bears previously saved by AnimalsAsia from bile farms, these five rescued bears were transported to the nonprofit’s sanctuary in Vietnam. Prior to their arrival at the new sanctuary, these moon bears, named Dawn, Noon, Midnight, Chronos, and Twilight, endured a life of confinement in cramped, damp cages devoid of any enriching elements.

Image source: AnimalsAsia

The rescuers saw that the bears exhibited clear indications of nervousness and anxiety.

“Fortunately, the bears all voluntarily walked from their farm cages to our transport cages. We then loaded them onto two large trucks to transport them to our sanctuary in Tam Dao. The trip took one and a half hours, and during the trip, we stopped to check if the bears were doing well. Ultimately, it was a very smooth operation for our team, and I am very proud of them,” Hoang said of the rescue.

Following the rescue operation, which occurred in late February, the moon bears are currently undergoing a mandatory 30-day quarantine period at the sanctuary. The sanctuary’s dedicated staff is diligently observing the bears’ health, noting a positive trend in their overall well-being. However, during the bonding process with their caretakers, signs of psychological distress have been observed among the bears.

“Chronos is very sensitive to noise and sways his head often,” Hoang said, adding, “Dawn is a broken bear from her appearance to her behavior.”

Within AnimalsAsia’s sanctuary, every bear is deemed worthy of assistance and care. The sanctuary’s devoted staff eagerly anticipates introducing these bears to the wonders and delights of life within their extensive sanctuary, which already provides refuge to more than 207 rescued bears.

“It will be a slow start, but once they are ready, we can begin integrating them with the other bears on-site in our sanctuary. We all hope things turn out well with their physical and mental health as soon as possible, so they can begin living a healthy, happy, and confident life with freedom,” Hoang shared.

AnimalsAsia remains steadfast in its commitment to rescuing every bear trapped in bile farms across Vietnam. Presently, an estimated 117 bears are confined within cages at bile farms in Phung Thuong. To aid in this crucial mission, the organization is constructing a second sanctuary, as their Tam Dao facility is nearing its maximum capacity.

The forthcoming sanctuary, situated in Vietnam’s Bach Ma National Park, will play a pivotal role in AnimalsAsia’s endeavors. Once the construction of the facility is finalized, AnimalsAsia will possess ample space to rescue and provide solace for every bear ensnared in Vietnam’s bear bile trade.

Source: People

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.