On the morning of September 23, Nhan Dan Newspaper in coordination with the Center for Nature Education (ENV) organized a seminar "Ending bear farming activities in Hanoi", to discuss bottlenecks and solutions for the remaining cases in the final stage of the process of ending bear farming for bile.
Sharing at the seminar, Ms. Bui Thi Ha - Deputy Director of the Center for Nature Education (ENV) said that in 2005, Vietnam had more than 4,300 captive bears. By 2026, this number will decrease to 129 individuals, equivalent to a decrease of 97%. Currently, 23/34 provinces and cities no longer have captive bears.
However, the remaining bears are largely concentrated in Hanoi. The city currently has 64 captive bears, accounting for about 50% of the total number of captive bears nationwide. Of which, 62 are concentrated in Phuc Tho commune. The number of bear farms in Hanoi has remained at 17 establishments from 2024 to now.
These figures show that Hanoi, especially Phuc Tho, is one of the areas that needs to continue to be focused on resolving in the final stage of the process of ending bear bile farming activities.
Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nhat - Deputy Head of Nhan Dan Electronic Newspaper, Nhan Dan Newspaper - said that for more than 20 years, the number of bears kept in captivity in Vietnam has decreased sharply. This is a noteworthy result of state management, law enforcement, nature conservation and changes in community awareness.
However, when the remaining number of bears decreases to a low level, definitively resolving the last cases enters a more difficult stage.
This is not just a story about the number of bears. It is also a story about management responsibility, coordination between levels, sectors, local authorities and conservation organizations" - Mr. Nhat emphasized.
The process of managing and gradually ending bear bile farming activities in Vietnam has been promoted since 2005, when the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Decision No. 02/2005/QD-BNN on managing farmed bears, requiring registration, management and electronic chip attachment for more than 4,300 individuals. In the period 2005-2006, the program of registration and chip attachment for farmed bears nationwide was completed.
By 2010, the whole country had 3,843 captive bears, of which Hanoi had 685 individuals. In 2015, the numbers decreased to 1,690 and 311 individuals respectively.
In 2020, the whole country still had 376 captive bears, of which Hanoi had 175, accounting for about 46.5%. By 2026, the total number of captive bears nationwide continued to decrease sharply to 129, while Hanoi still had 64, equivalent to about half of the country.
According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nhat, when the remaining number of bears has decreased to a low level, resolving the final cases becomes more difficult, posing requirements for management responsibility and coordination between parties.
The seminar focused on clarifying why the remaining cases have not been resolved, the responsibilities of each party, the necessary changes in the way of doing things and the roadmap to completely end bear farming activities in Phuc Tho as well as Hanoi.
According to Ms. Bui Thi Ha, after more than 20 years, the remaining journey is shorter in terms of the number of bears but requires higher determination. When the government, law enforcement forces, conservation organizations, press and community act together according to a clear roadmap, the goal of making Hanoi a locality without captive bears can gradually become a reality.
