After more than a day of transportation, the two bears rescued in Ha Noi were brought to Vietnam Bear Rescue Center II at Bach Ma National Park (Thua Thien Hue Province) on the afternoon of October 3. These are also the first two bears received by this center.
After arriving at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center II in Bach Ma National Park, medical staff fed the bears milk.
At Vietnam Bear Rescue Center II in Bach Ma National Park, reception work is carried out methodically and according to procedures, under the supervision of experts as well as forest rangers.
The two bears were rescued from a household in Phung Thuong commune (Phuc Tho district, Ha Noi) in the form of a voluntary transfer application and did not require any funding source. After that, the Ha Noi Forest Protection Department supported all handover procedures and coordinated with the Animals Asia in bear rescue work.
These two bears have been cared for by the family since 2006. Up to now, they have lived in captivity for nearly 20 years, while the natural age of bears is from 30 to 35 years old.
Animals Asia has taken measures to combine the transport cage with the current cage and lure the bears to the cage with their favorite foods such as bananas, dried fruits, jam, condensed milk, and honey. The bears have been raised for many years, most of them have lost hair and have streaks of skin loss.
The specialized vehicle carrying the two bears departed from Ha Noi on October 2, traveled 800km and arrived at Vietnam Bear Rescue Center II at Bach Ma National Park in the late afternoon of October 3. During the move, every 2 to 3 hours on the road, the staff will check and give water and banana leaves to ensure good health for the bears.
According to experts, the two bears are very agile, respond well to the interactions of bear care experts and quickly enter the transport cage.
After being brought to Vietnam Bear Rescue Center II in Bach Ma National Park, the two bears will receive a specific health examination to accurately assess the bears’ health condition. It is known that the two bears are named Armstrong and Buzz, the names of the first two astronauts to set foot on the moon.
Animals Asia was founded by Dr. Jill Robinson MBE since 1998, started rescuing bears in Vietnam in 2006. Vietnam Bear Rescue Center I is located in Tam Dao National Park (Vinh Phuc province). Now, the organization has rescued and cared for 267 individuals of Asiatic black bears and Sun bears in Vietnam.
The organization is launching a worldwide fundraising campaign, with the slogan "No bear left behind" for the goal of rescuing all bears in captive farms in Vietnam.
Vietnam Bear Rescue Center II was built in Bach Ma National Park with an area of 12.7 hectares, total cost of more than 10 million USD. The center includes 6 bear houses, 12 wild boarding areas, administrative area, employee resort, quarantine area, veterinary hospital area, food processing area for bears, and media education area.
Currently, the center is still in the process of completing, expected to officially operate in November 2023. As expected, the center will be able to receive and care for more than 300 bears.