VietNamNet Bridge - Thousands of rare animals have been rescued, raised and released back to nature by the Cu Chi Center for Wildlife Rescue.

Saving animals

The Center, located in An Nhon Tay Commune, Cu Chi District, HCM City was established in 2006 by the HCM City Department of Forest Management and funded by the Wildlife At Risk (WAR - a non-governmental organization).

The doomed

A seriously-injured Malayan bear is treated by rescue workers at the Center.

All animals seized from illegal trade cases in the southern region are brought to the Cu Chi Center for Wildlife Rescue. At present, the center is taking care of over 30 species of animals with a total of 116 individuals, all of which are on the list of endangered species.

Take us to visit the center, Mr. Le Xuan Lam, WAR representative, pointed a Malayan bear in the semi-wild area and said: "This is a special case of the successful rescue. A resident in Binh Duong Province raised five Tibetan bears to collect bear galls. After a time in cage, one bear lost a leg and another bear was blind in one eye. This resident gave the disabled bears to the center.

The two bears were rescued but they are not released to the forests because they will not be able to seek food or will be killed by other species.

"The two bears are now kept at the center for the purpose of preservation and education," Lam said. 

Earlier, Ms. Tran Thi Anh Nguyet, from Cu Chi District, HCM City handed over a Malayan bear to the Center. She bred this bear from 1999 but so far it is only 25 kg. When the bear was transferred to the center, its lower jaw and the front legs were necrosis and it was blind.

"We had to guard and take care of the bear for a long time, day and night, even not sleeping to sustain the life for it," said Aly, a rescue worker.

Most of the animals were taken to the center in critical conditions. In many cases they died on the way to the center due to they were locked up for a long time or be trapped and injured.

Recently, a household in HCM City gave the center a golden-cheeked gibbon which was in a state of exhaustion due to a long captivity. "Now, the golden-cheeked gibbon has returned to normal. It is very energetic and eager to run and jump and particularly it is no longer scared as before," a member of the rescue team said.

Arduous practice of survival instincts

Volunteers at the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Center.

The Cu Chi Center for Wildlife Rescue is considered a hospital for wild animals with all “wards."

When they first come to the center the wild animals are kept in isolation, and then they are examined and transferred to suitable wards. In many cases, they need “emergency" and surgery to be survival.

Once HCM City’s rangers confiscated several porcupines from wildlife traffickers and handed over them to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Center. One of the porcupines had a leg of necrosis. The animal was transferred to the “emergency ward” where doctors cut off the part of necrosis to save the porcupine.

The center is now the home to dozens of other animals that lost legs and are blind due to being captured and overexploited by human.

Not only saving the lives of endangered animals, veterinarians at the centers help the animals practice their survival instincts at the semi-wild area in the center.

"If only saving their lives but not training them how to re-integrate into the wild, it is a failure. So, in addition to rescue and breed them, the most important task is to help them get familiar to the wild life so that when they are released into the wild they will still survive," said Aly.

According to rescue workers, the animals are brought here from different areas but they have the same fate. They all experienced days of being abuse, exploited and traded. Each animal is a fate, a tragic story.

A black bear, after a long time in captivity for gall exploitation, had one foot cut off by its owner to soak in alcohol. Other animals had their tales and hair cut before being handed over to the rescue center.

Normally, when they were rescued, they were very afraid of human. It took a long time for them to become friendlier to human.

In late 2009, the Center received a Malayan bear in critical condition due to anorexia. The rescue team had to eat and sleep with the bear to rescue it. "It took nearly one year for the bear to become normal. It was extremely difficult!" recalled Lam.

All members of the rescue team have the same thing: a special love for animals. They are always ready for trips at any time, even at mid-night to rescue them.

NLD