Dawn was recued by Animals Asia in April 2023. She was one of five moon bears who had been held captive on a bear bile farm near Hanoi for 20 years.
Bear bile farming is a traditional practice in China and Vietnam. Bile is extracted by invasive means from the bears’ gall bladders on a regular basis, for profit. The medicinally active ingredient of bear bile is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and it is used to treat a range of conditions including fever and inflammation by Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners. However there are synthesised and herbal alternatives to UDCA readily available.
Most farmed bears are kept caged in appalling conditions leading to considerable pain and suffering for the bear.
Animals Asia, founded in 1998, is devoted to ending bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. They have rescued and cared for more than 600 bears and in 2020 we partnered with them, donating £17,500 to fund rescue missions for more than a dozen bears.
April – Dawn is rescued
When Dawn arrived at the Animals Asia bear sanctuary in April she displayed stress and anxiety behaviours. Dawn was described by Sarah, Senior Bear Manager, as one of the most ‘broken bears’ Animals Asia has rescued.
Dawn was given fluoxetine (Prozac) initially – an anti-depressant to help soothe her mental anguish and give the team an opportunity to build rapport. By providing stimulation and a nutritious diet they helped to improve her physical condition too.
June – health check
In June, Dawn was sufficiently strong to undergo a health check with the vet team. She was suffering from arthiritis from being kept in cramp conditions, her gall bladder needed to be removed urgently due to infection, and she also required root canal work as a result of poor diet and neglect.
Due to the trauma of captivity on the bear bile farm, Dawn had been rubbing repeatedly against the bars of her cage and had become bald in places with scars on her head. She was given medication to help her fur recover and reduce the itching which troubled her skin.
Because of the terrible conditions Dawn was subjected to for all those years on the bear bile farm, it is likely she will be on medication for the rest of her life.
The specialist Animals Asia bear team have worked hard to improve Dawn both physically and psychologically since she arrived at the sanctuary, and these efforts started to bear fruit in June/July.
Dawn’s fur started to grow back and she began to show more interest in toys and food.
July – from cage to den
In July Dawn moved from a cage to her forever home – a den at the sanctuary.
Dawn had been living in a small cage, with little natural light for 20 years so the transition from a large, more comfortable ‘rescue cage’ at the sanctuary, to a spacious den could not be made immediately – it would have been too traumatic for Dawn.
Unsurprisingly, when the day came, Dawn was very tentative, and it took a lot of coaxing, but she did eventually leave the security of her cage and step into her den.
Once settled in her den she began to explore. Since those tentative first steps, Dawn has discovered the joy of playing with water in her tub, and has had fun with new toys.
At this stage of Dawn’s rehabilitation, the team felt she was ready to be introduced to Midnight – a fellow moon bear rescued at the same time from the same farm. Although they’d been neighbours for years, they’d never been able to play together or bond properly.
Once introduced, they played for hours and have since gone on to form a great friendship with Twilight, and Sunset too.
August – first steps outside
In August the doors of Dawn’s den were opened to the outside area for the first time. Dawn shares this outside space with her neighbours: Midnight, Sunset and Twilight.
This was the first opportunity for Dawn to step outside and feel the sun on her fur since being a cub.
She took a very long time, looking out from her den but she did eventually pluck up the courage to go outside. She opted to stay on the path, close to the entrance to her den, sniffing the air and letting the sun warm her fur.
September – first steps on grass
In September Dawn took her first steps on to the grass outside her den, encouraged by the presence of her playmates Midnight, Twilight and Sunset.
Dawn is unrecognisable from the broken bear rescued by Animals Asia in April. Although Dawn will never live a wild bear life, she will be cared for at the sanctuary, and be able to enjoy the company of other bears.
Animals Asia continue their work to bring about long-term change – to end bear bile farming and to improve the welfare of animals across Asia.
Image: Dawn at the Vietnam bear sanctuary, courtesy of Animals Asia
