Yen, which in Vietnamese means “peace”. This is the name of the Asian black bear cub rescued from the clutches of poachers in recent days and taken to the Tam Dao animal sanctuary. The rescue operation was conducted by Animals Asia in Vietnam.

The rescue of Yen

It was November 8, 2021. The Vietnamese team of the animal rights organization Animals Asia is contacted by the police of Uong Bi, in the province of Quang Ninh, following the interception of an illegal wildlife trafficking operation . During the operation, the police had located and confiscated an Asian black bear cub, an endangered species also known as the “moon bear” .

The cub was in a small bird cage, inside which he could barely move. The Tam Dao sanctuary logistics team immediately informed the agents of the animal’s immediate needs, kicking off the transfer paperwork. After a four hour journey,Authorities safely handed him over to the organization’s team of veterinarians and bear care experts.

A soft toy for a friend

As soon as he arrived at his destination, the bear was subjected to a first check on his physical condition, during which the team was able to ascertain that the animal – a male – was healthy . 

On the contrary, it was the puppy’s psychological and emotional state that caused concern . Following the traumatic experience, in fact, Yen was nervous and very afraid. Normal reactions, which according to experts are attributable to the fact that he was torn from the natural environment and from his mother, probably killed in front of him in the clash with the poachers .

The sanctuary staff, who specialize in the care of bears , have established godsshifts to be able to be with him all night, assuming that on the first attempt to leave him alone , Yen started to cry. 

To soothe her loneliness, the team took care to place the teddy bear that is usually used for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) next to her Di lei cage. 

As the hours went by, she began to gradually leave him alone for longer and longer periods, making sure he was calm enough to rest.

Animals Asia against bile farms

Yen is the 650th bear rescued by Animals Asia, which fights against the trafficking and illegal breeding of bears every day. 

The story of Yen is, in fact, only the latest of many that, over the years, have involved moon bears, also known as Tibetan or collared bears. This species, widespread in Asian forests from Siberia to Thailand and Korea and Japan, is considered Vulnerable by the IUCN on its Red List of  Endangered Species, due to reduced habitat and the use of parts of its body. in traditional medicine . 

According to Animals Asia , there are still over 20,000 bears held in Asian bile farms: real camps where these animals are held in terrible conditions, and subjected to extremely painful practices to extract the bile, considered a panacea by traditional Chinese medicine.