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Plea to assist the protection of bears in Thailand |
 Sadly, in Thailand, bears (Asiatic Black bears and Sun bears) have been stolen from the wild to be sold as pets; some were taken for their body parts by what we now, internationally, understand to be scientifically false medical theories of supposed "chinese" herbal medicene . Many illegal Thai bears had been dumped (literally) upon the monks at Buddhist temples but without the financial support required to look after the bears. These bears have been the lucky ones. Other bears have not been so lucky, because of this, in 1996 WSPA built the first bear sanctuary in Thailand to support the work of the Thai Royal Forest Department (TRFD) in confiscating illegally held bears.
The TRFD had rescued 20 bears from the neferious illegal trade and built small cages for them at their Wildlife Rescue Centre. Thanks to public donations and support the WSPA was able to fund the building of the first specialized bear sanctuary in Thailand at Banglamung, which provided better living conditions for the bears. This also enabled the TRFD to continue confiscating bears from the illegal trade and business of Thailand.
Two enclosures were subsequently built at the centre:
A forested area for Sun bears, the size of a football pitch (1 hectare) and a 4 hectare forested enclosure for Asiatic Black bears.
Both species are found in the wild in Thailand and are under the threat of both illegal trade and habitat destruction.
Over the past few years the enclosures have been extended and enriched. The Thai Society for Conservation of Wild Animals (TSCWA) are a WSPA Member Society and have undertaken some of the construction work. They have also supported the onsite vet care and management of the sanctuaries.
Third bear sanctuary opens in Thailand
WSPA supported the set-up of a third bear sanctuary in the north of Thailand to care for Asiatic bears that were confiscated in the region. All these sanctuaries come under the direct management of the Thai RFD.
WSPA’s continuing support
With your help WSPA has continued to provide support in the form of veterinary medicines, equipment, funds for food and enclosure development. WSPA has also funded the production of educational materials used by TSCWA to build awareness of the need for bear protection in rural areas.
WSPA staff make regular visits to the sanctuaries to assess the management and care of the bears. Currently there were 57 Asiatic Black bears and 27 Sun bears in care. A project is underway to possibly release some of these bears back into the wild. Can you help? Then Click here
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