Coming back into the city, I rode with some friends who work with Free the Bears. They, and Wildlife at Risk (WAR), frequently get reports of animals that have been confiscated and need a place to live. They also get reports of places that keep animals illegally. For a couple of days I went with these guys to investigate these rumors.
I have mentioned previously the belief in Southeast Asia of the medicinal value of bear bile. Thousands of bears are kept in tiny cages and are milked for their bile. The law in Vietnam states that people may keep bears, but it is illegal to milk the bears. We spent some time visiting locations that are rumored to have bears and may be milking them.
We also got to visit the Cu Chi rescue center, a place where confiscated animals are taken and given a better living situation. Unfortunately, many of these animals are either unhealthy or have been near humans for too long. It would be unsafe, for them and for people, to release them back into the wild, meaning that they will spend their lives in cages. The hope is that they, like the bears in Cat Tien, can have a chance to spend some time in larger, more stimulating enclosures than the tiny metal cages they are usually kept in as pets or as "milking bears".
3 bears were out behind a gas station out of Cu Chi, heading towards Cambodia. They were big, and beautiful- gentle and friendly.
Crocodiles..tons of them, in three tanks right next to the bears. A restaurant next to the gas station serves croc.
The facilities at the Cu Chi rescue center. It's small but well-kept and good for the animals. Some animals will stay here while others, like the bears, will only stay until they can be taken to another center.
There are 6 otters at the Cu Chi center. Isn't he cute?
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