Today (Thursday September 13, 2012), more than 50 national celebrities from throughout the country joined forces with Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) to call for an immediate end to bear farming in Vietnam.
At a press conference in Hanoi, pop star My Linh and comedian and actress Minh Vuong represented a collection of Vietnam’s top celebrities in sport, film, music, and entertainment, to highlight the serious threat that bear farming and the bear bile industry pose to the survival of bears in the wild, both in Vietnam and the surrounding region.
“Unfortunately, bears have lost their right to live peacefully in nature,” says My Linh. “Bears are captured and kept in captivity to have their bile extracted. If this continues to happen, I cannot imagine what the future of bears will look like.”
As My Linh and Minh Vuong spoke to journalists about their desire to see an end to bear farming, ENV volunteers in seven major cities simultaneously hosted public awareness events, calling for an end to bear farming. Events were held in Ha Noi, Ha Long, Hai Phong, Vinh, Da Nang, Hue and Ho Chi Minh cities to focus public attention on the issue, and to encourage people not to consume bear bile or other bear products.
“The bear farming industry in Vietnam poses a major threat to the survival of bears, not just in Vietnam but across the region,” says ENV’s Vice-Director Tran Viet Hung. “Consumers here in Vietnam represent a minority of the population, and there are plenty of alternatives to bear bile that make this cruel and illegal practice of exploiting bears completely unnecessary in today’s modern world. We feel the tide is rising against bear bile farmers who have all but decimated wild populations of bears for their own personal gain, with little consideration for the interests of their communities and the people of Vietnam.”
Mr. Hung called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to reinforce its 2005 commitment to end all bear farming in Vietnam by aggressively enforcing a ban on bear bile extraction, and to work with the public as well as other government agencies to rapidly phase out bear farming altogether.
Also marking the occasion of Vietnam’s Bear Day, ENV announced the winners of a competition for young film-makers to produce a public service announcement (PSA) urging the public not to consume bear bile. During the press conference, My Linh and Minh Vuong presented the “People’s Choice” award to Dinh Ngoc Thanh, who racked up the most votes online for his PSA, an “Excellent Message” award to Le Hoai Lam for overall messaging and delivery, and a “Highly Commended” award to Nguyen Duc Giang.
Vietnam is home to two species of bear: the Asiatic black bear and Malayan sun bear. Both of these species face serious threats from illegal hunting and trade, and are often sold to bear farms to meet the demand for bear bile and other products made from bears. Today, it is estimated that almost 2,400 bears are being kept on farms. All but a few of these bears originated from the wild.
“The World Society for the Protection of Animals has been working closely with ENV and the Vietnamese government on the phase-out program for many years, especially with the chipping and registration of bears,” says Adam Valvasori, Regional Communications Director with the World Society for the Protection of Animals Asia-Pacific. “With this Vietnam Bear Day event, we hope that Vietnam will set a good example for other countries in the region to bring an end to bear farming everywhere.”
ENV wishes to thank the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for its continued partnership and support in efforts to end bear farming in Vietnam.
Some photos of the Press Conference in Ha Noi:
ENV Vice Director Tran Viet Hung being interviewed for Vietnamese television news
ENV Vice Director Tran Viet Hung giving a speech. Mr Hung called on (MARD) Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to reinforce its 2005 commitment to end all bear farming in Vietnam. ENV believes the government needs to aggressively enforce a ban on bear bile extraction, and work with the public as well as other government agencies to rapidly phase out bear farming altogether
Singer My Linh represented more than 50 celebrities who joined Vietnam Bear Day, saying that no-one in her whole family had ever consumed wildlife products, and as long as bear farming continues in Vietnam she fears for the future of the bear species.