On the morning of May 27, the Forest Protection Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) organized the ceremony to introduce the project ‘the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre - Branch II’ at Bach Ma National Park.

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Forest Protection Department; and Dr. Jill Robinson, Founder and CEO of the Animals Asia, etc.

The Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre - Branch II at Bach Ma National Park, which is invested by the Animals Asia, has been approved and licensed by the MARD. The project has a total non-refundable aid of 10.5 million USD (equivalent to 242.5 billion VND), provided by the Animals Asia.

The bear rescue center is located in the administrative-service area of the Bach Ma National Park, with an area of12.7 hectares. All categories of the center is expected to be completed by 2026, which include 12 bear dwelling places and 12 semi-wild zones; administrative-service area and resting area for staffs, veterinary hospital, food processing area for bears, education and communication area, and waste treatment area, etc.

The center's goal is to rescue and serve more than 300 bears, which are received from private bear farming facilities and violations, and put an end to private bear farming by the end of 2026.