Sadly, Vietnam is still struggling to rid itself of illegal bear operations, which are often fuelled by Korean tourists. See below for an account of Animals Asia Foundation’s translation of a visit.

Part I:  Infiltrating a Ha Long bear farm 

Though allegedly tourist sites, the bear farms in Ha Long city (Quang Ninh province) are all barricaded secret places. No unexpected visitor escapes the probing gaze, the stone-cold rejection of security guards. What is actually going inside? The answer is not easy unless you’re in a group of foreign visitors booked in advance. 

Behind the mystery gate 

8:00 am, 28^th August.  A chili pepper-red 46-seat bus pulls into the driveway of “Ha Long Farm,” a well-known bear farm on Route 18 just before the highway reaches the Bai Chay resort area of Ha Long City.  Security guards rush to open the heavy metal gate, let the bus in, then quickly close it again. 

No room for us

Following the bus, we Tuoi Tre reporters ambled up to the security post, carrying our backpacks. Pointing to the “hotel” sign near the gate, we asked for a room.  A curt gesture and an unfriendly look from the security guy told us “under maintenance, no room for you.”

We were not surprised; volunteers from wild animal protection organizations had already told us what to expect.

In May, National Assembly member Nguyen Dinh Xuan succeeded in paying a surprise visit to this same bear farm.  He arrived in a brand new bus.  A guard thought Xuan and his companions were regular guests so he opened the gate wide. By the time the guard realized his blunder, it was too late. Mr Xuan and his companions got off the bus, introduced themselves and walked straight inside just as another 35-seater bearing the ABC Bus logo arrived, filled with Korean tourists.

We Tuoi Tre reporters were not so lucky, and had to find a place nearby to observe the comings and goings at Ha Long Farm.  After more than an hour, the bright red bus was still in the yard.  At about 9:30, the metal gate opened to admit a white Daewoo four-seater.  We knew this car; it belongs to a Korean who regularly brings tourists to bear farms in Ha Long.

At 9:45, a lilac 46-seat ABC bus brought some more Korean visitors to Ha Long Farm.

On the same day at another bear farm on Route 18, we noted two groups of Korean tourists.  Each group stopped there for almost two hours.  This second farm belongs to Dat Viet Travel Company.  Because it used to have a sign displaying five bears, local people call it “Five Bears Farm” to distinguish it from the other establishment (Ha Long Bears) that had only one bear on its sign.

After the unexpected visit of Assembly Deputy Xuan, those signs were taken down.  Actually, they are not necessary, for visitors are still guided to these farms every day. Each farm can receive up to 4-5 buses per day.  We were told that there are 50 to70 bears at each of several farms in the area. 

After Mr Xuan’s visit, the process of screening visitors was further tightened at the Ha Long bear farms.  All visitors must be directly admitted by farm owners or brought there by one of a number of Korean brokers. Security guards with frigid faces stare from a far distance and only open the gate when they are sure that the vehicle is one they were expecting. 

A close look at bile extraction

Through “shape-shifting” and stressful professional methods, we reporters finally managed to enter a bear farm.  

We say that when a group of guests arrives, its Vietnamese tour guide goes off-duty, passing on the role of guiding and introducing to the broker. The farm’s staff and managers stand clear, keeping watch on the visitors.

All conversations between the broker and visitors from beginning to end were in Korean or Chinese.  The names, age, weight and height of the bears was written in Korean on signs at each cage.

We were taken for a tour around the bear farm by the broker. The so-called “tour” is nothing more than seeing huge moon bears kept in tiny cages lined up side by side.

The bear-watching tour took about 15-20 minutes as the broker gave only a brief introduction.   Most visitors seemed quickly bored with beholding the bears panting heavily and growling behind bars.

During the tour, the broker extolled the medical and health virtues of bear bile, setting the scene for the highlight of the visit: viewing bile extraction directly.

Due to negative reactions expressed by some visitors who watched bears struggling and being knocked down with anesthetics, we understood that some farms only anaesthetize bears in front of visitors when requested.  It is more typical now that when visitors arrive, the farm’s staff will ‘prepare’ a bear.  They start the anaesthesia while visitors are still on the tour of the cage area.

While bile is being extracted, the gates are thoroughly secured. No exit or entry is allowed. At farms like Dat Viet, Plus and Ha Long Bears, the bile extraction process is discreetly performed in a wooden room.  At the farm we managed to visit, we could see ultrasound machines, electrical extractors, instruments for bile extraction (cylinders, vials, tin foil packagers …) and a Visa card reader, all ready for business.

We were seated on one side of the room. The equipment was placed on a table on the other side.  Right at the door was the “operating stage” for bile extraction. Before our eyes, a bear was wheeled out on a trolley, anaesthetized, facing upward with all four limbs tightly roped as if he was about to be dismembered by four horses.

A man in a white smock deliberately carried out each step, smearing gel and rubbing the ultrasound scanner across the bear’s abdomen while watching the monitor to locate the gall bladder. A needle was inserted into the bear’s gall bladder and connected to the extractor via a rubber tube.

At the same time, the broker explained every move of the operator, speaking non-stop in Korean. In a little while, when the amount of bile taken out reached 120 cc to 150 cc, the process ended and the bear, still motionless, was wheeled back to its cage.

Right after the show, the farm’s staff divided the bile into vials of one to ten cubic centimeters, or packed equivalent amounts in tin foils under the supervision of the manager.

The bile was now extracted and packaged.  Anyone who had no further duties was asked to leave. In that wooden room, there remained only visitors, the farm’s cashier and the broker. Even without witnesses, however, everyone would understand that the people who remained inside were completing the final step of the “bear farm tour”: buying and selling bear bile.

VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre 

Moonbears.org would like to offer our sincerest congratulations and gratitude to Jan Beeton and Save the Moonbears South Africa for their outstanding accomplishments on August 25, 2009.

Protesters represented Fur Free South Africa and the Moon Bear Campaign South Africa.

At the Embassy for China, people protested about atrocities against animals used for their fur, held in horrendous conditions and often skinned alive. An estimated 5 400 cats and dogs are killed for their fur in China daily, and there is no animal protection legislation in China. According to Charl du Plessis from Fur Free, the fur is sold in countries such as South Africa as fur trim on garments, toys etc, and is often mislabelled under names such as “faux”.

Protesters were also concerned about 10 000 moon bears in China, held lifelong in “coffin cages”, their bile extracted twice daily through wounds kept open in the abdomen. These bears often develop infection and cancer, and existing legislation is apparently not enforced. Bear bile is used in traditional medicine and products such as shampoos, however Ms Jan Beeton from the Moon Bear Campaign pointed out that good herbal and synthetic alternatives are now available, rendering the bears’ suffering pointless.

At the South Korean Embassy, the protest was held partly against the treatment of moon bears, but also against the suffering of dogs and other animals that are tortured before being eaten, the belief being that the more the animals suffer before their death, the sweeter their meat will be.

Jan Beeton noted that at the Korean Embassy, an official came out to greet and talk with her and her team. She also notes that she was told that ‘the Korean government is “cracking down on bear farming”. We are eager to see if his words prove true.

Fantastic work Jan, you are a role model, a leader, and a cherished member of the animal welfare community! Onward!
Contact for Save the Bears South Africa: Moon Bear Campaign: Jan Beeton, 083 253 9384 jan.beeton@wbs.co.za

2009 Sept News South Africa 01

2009 Sept News South Africa 02

2009 Sept News South Africa 03

2009 Sept News South Africa 04

April 13 and 14, 2009

Now that I’ve had time for it to sink in, I will say the AAF visit was truly an eye opening chance and one of my memorable moments. These experiences teach us so much and I would wish them on anyone.

We can read about issues such as this one through newsletters and media but visiting the centre gave me the real thing, something beyond price.

John and I came back to our hotel with heavy hearts as we fully realized the seriousness of the problem. At the same time, we felt energized by hope and the knowledge that we can do something good for the world.

 On the first day, we were picked up from the airport and went straight to the centre, and there Jill was waiting for us with her trade mark- a big sunny smile on her face.

 The day was hot and sunny, but we both wearing thick winter sweater as Jill had told us to do so previously.

We had abnormally warm anther for our arrival (always a good omen). The driver felt pity on us and threw two t-shirts with AAF service centre logo on it, and we quickly changed into them. Later, Jill found out where we got the t-shirts and she laughed and laughed as it is only given to those who work there- we felt honored to wear them.

 Jill gave us a 3 hour private tour and we talked about their operational costs…

The sanctuary consists of 25 acres of land and is comprised of 9 camps. Each camp consists of different levels of bears depending on their health status and abilities.

 The most heartbreaking unit was the quarantine area, where there were 12 bears held in separate cages, these being the last batch of bears to have arrived in February of this year. According to Jill, their condition isn’t too bad. Jill also said the bears can spend up to a year in quarantine dependent upon their condition, and that the cage was not as comfortable as the den but bigger than the farm ones.

 The sanctuary staff consists of 156 people, including 12 expats. Unfortunately, all are relatively under paid as the budget is tight and the remaining staff consists of local enthusiasts. Additionally, 5 volunteer expats work for 3- month periods and are then hired on if they prove their capability.

This place has operating costs of 100,000 USD plus per month,  hard to believe! These are merely the costs of running the centre!

After the first day’s tour, we brought our tired bodies back to our hotel, thinking that a sanctuary project isn’t something one person can do alone. It has to be work of the Korean government as they are the ones with the necessary budget.  

 And the second day of our visit, we were joined by a German newspaper reporter- a nice young man called Till who came to the centre with the same purpose as ourselves; to learn the truth about the bears and to spread word to the rest of the world.

Jill then gave us another private tour- basically same route we took on the previous day, though I had been busy filming so it was a good opportunity for me to really pay close attention to the scenery and people around me.

This second tour took all day and when we finally sat down with Jill’s directors- Christie, Heather and Toby, we exchanged our ongoing support to one another and promised to cooperate to end this cruel industry.

The most shocking thing I learned is that Korea is the number one buyer in the Chinese and Vietnamese market. If we don’t start the campaign within Korea now, the bear farming business in China and Vietnam will never phase out. Unfortunately, that is the painful truth…

The horror of seeing the cages with my own eyes was just too much.

The size of them is so small that a human could not lie comfortably inside, not even for one hour.

But these bears lay there for 20 years!

Some of the cages that are already tiny, even have a shaped metal bar inside, which presses down the body to ease the process of milking- after seeing this, I found tears rolling down my cheeks.

Needless to say, our priority has changed and our passion increased.

We need to get the communication going with the Government and we need results promptly. We need to stop the breeding entirely.

We emphasize the dangers of buying unregulated bear bile products and we must continue to do so. We saw one particularly disturbing liver in a jar, which weighed 7Kg, riddled with cancerous tumors.

And then finally the sanctuary must come!

 I remember only a few names of these bears- Andrew, Jasper, Ceasar, Rosie, Rupert, Bottom, Benji, Franzi, Black magic and a dog called Tremor who has been  saved from the last year earth quake..

However, we flew back home with loving memories of the sanctuary and people who is tirelessly working around the clock in the centre.

I have taken the time to film and document a journey that I might share it with you, my friends and supporters.

I wish that you joined me in educating the world about this brutal trade.

 With heart full thanks to Jill and her co-workers,

 G. Moon

Our campaign is getting bigger everyday by number, we will reach 20,000 soon.

Big thanks for those went through much trouble giving us the precious vote for the cause.

We - www.moonbears.org  are going through some face lift at the moment.

I can guarantee when we are done, we will be looking younger and fresher.

The aim is to make our web page looking simple and clear. 

We will continue to bringing more information about Korea’s captive moon bears. 

So stay tuned with us.

Here is a beautiful Native American poem from a friend Miz Australia. Hope you enjoy this beautiful spirit in the poem.

Prayer for My Brother, The Bear
by Chief Dan George

O Great Spirit who listens to all
I speak for my brother the bear.

Make the moon shine softly during the nights of his childhood
So that the warmth of his mother will
always be in his memory.

Make the berries grow in abundance
and sweetness
So that the vigor of life will strengthen his heart

mizAnd the years of old age shall never
be a burden to his body.

Let the wildflowers refresh his temperament
So that his manner will always be carefree.

Give his legs swiftness and strength
So they will always carry him to freedom.

Sharpen the senses of his ears and nose
So they will always keep harm from him.

Let only those men share his path
who in their hearts
Know his beauty and respect his
strength so that he will

Always be at home in the wilderness.
Make men praise life so that no one
needs to feel the shame

That lives in a heart that has wronged.
Then my wild brother, the bear, will
always have a wilderness,

As long as the sun travels the sky.
Oh, Great Spirit, this I ask of you
for my brother, the bear.

Prayer for My Brother, The Bear.doc

I am speechless- following video says it all, how cruel this entire business has become.

htttp://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=r9snODccgIc

I just wanted to say this- what are we doing for the caged bears now today.

What actually moonbears.org is doing and what is the goal?

To make it simple, I think it is important to write this message.

1600 moonbears in Korea.
Cruelly farmed for their bile.
Terrible practice was actually originally encouraged by the Korean Government.
Farmers now claim livelyhood threatened if the practice is banned.
Seems strange for a so called modern and developed country and stands in..
great contrast to Gangnams office towers.
Inconsistent korea trying to take environments leadership globally but,
the government is not fixing a problem in its own backyard..
Moonbears.org’s mission is to have the government ban this practice and in doing so
compensate the farmers.
Then to get the remaining  bears into a special refuge to begin the long recovery.

so sad~ 

 ALERT!

There has been a wide media release how unsafe to consume bear bile products in China.  However it goes same here in the Korean market.

Please read the following report from Animals Asia Foundation to learn about the untold truth.

 aaf-harmful-effect-pdf

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to my blog.   Please feel free to share your thoughts, comments, and ideas here with us.

I will post as many information as possible out there, of course about the farmed bears in Korea.

But I promise to keep up with bright colors so it won’t be too sad for you viewers.

Please do not hesitate to ask or suggest if you have different ideas.

Gina Moon Email: g.moon@moonbears.org