Donate £10
A donation of £10 could help fund on-the-ground inspections of bear bile farms, ensuring unregistered bears are identified and flagged for confiscation.
Help End Bear Bile Farming in Vietnam
Donate nowBears in Vietnam have suffered for decades in the bile trade—now is our chance to end it for good
For decades, bears in Vietnam have suffered in tiny cages, enduring unimaginable cruelty for the bear bile trade. Despite a 2005 ban on bile extraction, illegal farming continues, with bears still confined in harsh, unnatural conditions. Their lives are defined by pain and deprivation. But, we are closer than ever to ending this practice for good.
Donate £20
A donation of £20 could support legal action and government interventions to shut down farms keeping bears illegally.
Donate £30
A donation of £30 could help drive high-level advocacy efforts, pressuring authorities to close the last remaining bear bile farms in Vietnam for good.
Bears on bile farms are subjected to painful procedures to extract their bile, which is used in traditional medicine despite the existence of humane, plant-based alternatives. The most common method involves sedating or restraining the bears while a needle is inserted directly into their gallbladder. This process is sometimes done without proper medical care, leading to infections, chronic pain, and organ damage. Many bears suffer for years in filthy, cramped cages, unable to move freely or express natural behaviours.
Through relentless campaigning and collaboration with the Vietnamese government, the number of bears on bile farms has plummeted from 4,300 in 2005 to just 190 as of September 2024. Thanks to our monitoring program, authorities can identify and confiscate illegally held bears, ensuring they are transferred to sanctuaries where they can heal.
Hanoi: The Final Battleground
With 46 out of 63 provinces now bear farm-free, Hanoi remains the last stronghold of this cruel industry, holding nearly half of all remaining bile bears. By focusing efforts on Hanoi, we can deliver a final blow to bear bile farming in Vietnam, pressuring the government to enforce laws and help the remaining bears.
Chinh's story
Chinh was rescued by Four Paws, with support from World Animal Protection and Vietnam’s Forest Protection Department, after spending 20 years alone in a tiny cage on a bile farm in Binh Duong Province. He arrived at Four Paws’ Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary with fractured canines, severe dental disease, overgrown claws, and footpad hyperkeratosis from standing on metal bars for years. Now under expert care, he has joined other rescued bears and is finally exploring the outdoors, feeling grass beneath his paws for the first time.
We are on the brink of ending bear bile farming in Vietnam forever. With your help, we can bring safety to the last bears still suffering.
We will use your donation where the need is greatest to protect animals, like those featured in this appeal, from cruelty and suffering.
Image credits: World Animal Protection / Nguyen Van Tuyen