Vietnam fails to stop bear slaughter
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Authorities have been powerless to stop Vietnamese bear farmers from slaughtering the animals illegally to sell for meat amid plunging prices for their bile, officials acknowledged yesterday.
Since 2005, when selling bile was made illegal, farmers have had to care for the remaining captive bears until they died naturally, or hand them over to the forestry department for release, without compensation.
But officials say they are not able to enforce the law and prevent the illicit slaughter. “We know about this situation but it is the responsibility of the local authorities, not us,” said Do Quang Tung, director of the government agency managing Vietnam’s implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
After the ban, lax supervision allowed an illegal trade in bile to continue and support the farms.
But the price of bile has dropped from US$16 (Bt500) per millilitre to less than $1, prompting many to kill off their bears to save the $120 a month it costs to keep them.
