Illegal bear farming for bile extraction will be completely stopped in Nghe An.
(Baonghean.vn) - It is necessary to promote and encourage households illegally keeping bears to voluntarily surrender them to the Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Center; resolutely prevent and prosecute those responsible, aiming to completely end the illegal keeping of bears. This was the directive of Mr. Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - at a meeting to hear and give opinions on handling the situation of illegally kept bears in Quynh Luu district on the afternoon of April 22nd.
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| Comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - chaired the meeting. Also attending were representatives from provincial departments and agencies, and Quynh Luu district. Photo: Dang Cuong |
According to the report, there are currently 16 bears in Quynh Luu district, belonging to 4 households (12 males and 4 females).
From December 12, 2015 to December 21, 2018, the Forest Protection Department, in coordination with international animal protection organizations, the Regional Forest Protection Department II, the Provincial Forest Protection Department, and local authorities, conducted the installation of new-generation microchips on all bears in Nghe An province (excluding the two bears kept at the Pu Mat National Park Wildlife Rescue Center). Essentially, all households complied with regulations regarding the keeping of bears with microchips, under state management.
However, following a notification of wildlife violations from the Center for Nature Education (EVN), on April 10, 2019, the Quynh Luu Forest Protection Department and the district police, in coordination with local authorities, inspected a household in Quynh Ngoc commune and found 9 bears being kept in 9 cages behind the house.
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| Two sun bears were rescued and are being cared for at the Wildlife Rescue Center of Pù Mát National Park. (Photo: Archival image) |
After using specialized equipment to check the chips, it was found that 2 bears already had chips (chip codes: 011584 and 009060) and 7 bears did not yet display chip numbers. According to the owner, 6 bears were transported from Quynh Yen commune (where he registered with the competent authority to keep bears) to Quynh Ngoc commune, and 3 bears were newly purchased on April 2, 2019, and had not yet been microchipped.
Therefore, according to current legal regulations, only registered bears with microchips are permitted to be kept in captivity at facilities in the area. Keeping unregistered bears or bears without microchips is a violation of the law.
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| Quynh Ngoc commune, where a family currently keeps 9 bears. (Image: Google Maps) |
After hearing the opinions of departments, agencies, and local authorities, concluding the meeting, Comrade Dinh Viet Hong affirmed that raising bears without microchips is a violation of the law. The immediate priority is to educate and persuade the bear-raising household to voluntarily hand over the bears to the Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Center for continued care and nurturing in accordance with the law.
Based on this, it is necessary to continue to raise awareness and encourage people to comply with legal regulations on bear captivity, disseminate legal regulations prohibiting the trading and keeping of bears in captivity; and regularly inspect and update the number of bears kept in captivity in the area to detect and strictly handle illegal bear captivity.
Furthermore, we must resolutely prevent and prosecute those who keep bears without legal documentation, ensuring that the number of captive bears does not increase and ultimately leading to the complete cessation of illegal bear keeping.