VietNamNet Bridge – On Monday, a baby boy in Ha Long was bitten by a bear and lost an arm.

The boy in hospital. Photo: Lao Dong Newspaper.

The victim, Bui Xuan Vuong, is 28 months old. He is the grandson of the bear’s owner.

According to initial information, while playing, the boy ran close to the bear cage. The bear grabbed the baby’s arm and chewed it off. The boy was brought to the hospital in critical condition due to blood loss.

Doctors say that they were unable to rejoin the arm.

The caged bear was one of two that the owner, Mr. Bui Van Ba, was raising, apparently for breeding purposes. Local authorities are investigating the incident and Ba’s illegal bear breeding activity.

Breeding bears for galls and to serve tourists is not uncommon in Quang Ninh Province, in which Ha Long City is located. Earlier this year the local government requested owners of bear farms to close their farms and sign agreements not to welcome tourists to visit the farms.

Until now, captive bear breeding to serve tourism and extract bear bile in Ha Long City has gradually been controlled. However, there are still two bear farms in operation. The farms usually welcome Korean tourists, who can directly see the bear bile extraction, try bear bile alcohol and purchase bear bile to bring to their country.

Thu Ly