More than 100 Vietnamese and foreigners have joined in the program “Cycling for Bear Protection 2014”, during which they took a 132km trip by bicycle from Hanoi to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre (VBRC) in Tam Dao National Park in northern Vinh Phuc Province.

The program is aimed at calling for communities to make great effort to protect the bears, ensuring that these animals live in a safe and green environment.

Participants in the trip gathered in Nghia Do Park in Hanoi at 5.30am and then cycled through Me Linh, Phuc Yen and Vinh Yen to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre (VBRC) in Tam Dao National Park.

They arrived at the centre at 10.30am and saw with their own eyes how the rescued bears are being taken care of.

The centre’s staff introduced to visitors the life of the bears and how the animals would feel when trapped on farms for illegal bile extraction. With this useful information, the visitors would learn more about the bears and find a better way to protect them.

Currently, the VBRC is tending 110 bears in a semi-natural environment. In an area of over 12 hectares, there are separate areas to tend the bears and rehabilitate functions for those which were rescued from bear farms for illegal bile extraction across the country.

Here, each bear has a name, including Dream Mischa, which is the 100th bear brought to the centre, and Jasper, which was kept for 15 years for illegal bile extraction. Jasper is now a gentle animal, and his name is used in two books for children. Meanwhile, Zebedee, which once lived in a dark and humid house for 14 years, and was transported to the centre with a broken jaw and teeth that caused him great pain when eating, now can go out and find food for himself.

Watching the bears play in the green grassy field, participants in the “Cycling for Bear Protection 2014” tour were very happy. Some of them took pictures of the animals and posted them on their Facebook accounts, with the hope of attracting more attention from the community to protect the bears.

The Tam Dao Bear Rescue Centre is the only rescue centre in Vietnam dedicated solely to rescuing bears from illegal bile farms. Since opening in 2008, it has received financial support from the organisation, ‘Animals Asia’.

The centre opens for visitors twice a day, at 9.30 am and 2pm and each tour lasts from one to one and a half hours. The centre’s staff can speak Vietnamese and English when explaining things to visitors. Every day, 85 people are working hard to tend the bears and secure a living environment for them.

Nguyen Bao Ngoc, a member of ‘Animals Asia’ said, “Cycling for Bear Protection 2014” is more useful than previous ones because there are more children participating in. This proves the need for getting out information to protect the bears.”

VNP