(VNF) - On August 18th, Animals Asia traveled to Northern Nam Dinh province to rescue a female bear after being a caged pet for seven years.

The bear then transported to Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre almost 200 kilometers away.

The rescue is going ahead following liaison with the local Forestry and assistance from local charity ENV.

The bear, 50kg in weight and a little bit of danger, has been named “Annemarie” by the rescuers - after their previous Bear and Vet Team Director and friend Annemarie Weegenaar who recently moved on after a decade in the post.

Bought as an exotic pet while just a cub, this sun bear has only ever known life behind bars - until now.

She was originally bought in 2009 by the current owner's father who has now passed away. His son, Tran Minh Hien from Xuan Hoa commune, Xuan Truong district, having learnt of the legal requirement to register bears, is keen to do the right thing and voluntarily hand over the bear. It has not been installed an e-chip.

While the illegality of the bear bile industry means that owners will routinely deny extracting bear bile, it’s believed that in this case, the bear has not suffered bile extractions.

However with bile farms still operating and with a market for bear parts for use in traditional medicine, the rescuers are thankful for the voluntary handover and keen for it to take part as soon as possible.

“At seven years old this is still a young bear and one that can enjoy a full life in the future. Normally, longevity of a bear is around 30-35 years. However, there is always a physical price to pay for these bears when they have suffered a lack of space, poor diet and inexpert care. Our vets will carry out a health check as part of the rescue to ensure Annemarie is safe to travel - and she’ll enjoy ongoing rehabilitation and vet care back at our sanctuary”, said Animals Asia’s Vietnam Director, Associate Professor, Doctor Tuan Bendixsen.

So far, Animals Asia has rescued nearly 600 bears - the vast majority from the bear bile industry. Annemarie will be the 150th bear currently being cared for at the Vietnam sanctuary.

Around 1,200 bears are still caged in Vietnam by the bear bile industry with over 10,000 more in China./.

( VNF )