(VNF) - The ‘’Bear Protection Week’’ was launched by Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV) from December 10 – 16 to call on the community not to consume bear bile and bear products. Added 4,000 in 13 provinces nationwide have pledged not to use bear bile, raising the total number to 40,000.

The week kicked off with the half marathon “Run for Bears – End Bear Farming”, attracting more than 800 runners from 43 countries around the globe. During the “Bear Protection Week”, a series of communication activities aimed at raising awareness and law enforcement have been held in many localities throughout the countries. Numerous seminars, round table discussion on bear protection are responded by students, official and businesses.

A bear is released to outdoor enclosure

For the first time, three bears which had been rescued in November were released to a just-finished outdoor enclosure at the BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh - a Four Paws sanctuary.

EVN also completed the micro-chipping for 80 bears at farms in Dong Nai. The next generation chips enable scanning without the need to anesthetize the bears. Only chipped bears are deemed legal and so this new technology will help strengthen monitoring of bear farms to ensure no new bears are being sourced from the wild.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, Deputy Director of ENV, said that "Bear Protection Week" has ended but bear protection activities will continue with commitment and cooperation of authorities, non-governmental organizations, the community and many bear farmers.

"From the results achieved in the Week, we can confidently believe that Vietnam will soon stop completely bear farming," Dung said.

In 2016, a group of NGOs dedicated to bear protection was formed to assist the Government in accelerating the end of bear farming in Vietnam. ENV is a member of the group together with the World Animal Protection and the Four Paws Organization./.

VNF