Hanoi Central Circus no longer has wild animals.

Four female bears retire from circus performances.

According to information from the Vietnam Circus Federation, all four bears are female, aged 5-7 years old, in stable health, and weigh approximately 60 kg each. All four were raised from a young age and have performed at the Central Circus Theater.

The female bears will be taken to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc province, where they will receive the best possible care and rehabilitation for the rest of their lives. The artists and caregivers have given them the names Nhat, Nhi, Tien, and Ngoan.

To ensure COVID-19 prevention measures are in place and to limit travel and large gatherings, the veterinary department of the Central Circus is responsible for the process of placing the bears in cages and transporting them. Upon arrival at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center, the center's doctors, nurses, and experts will conduct health checks and receive the bears on-site.

This shift is the result of a process of adjusting the use of animals in performances, replacing wild animal circuses with training and performing with agricultural animals.

A home for "retired" bears.

This is the second time Animals Asia has rescued bears from the Hanoi Central Circus. In April 2019, the organization also received two sun bears from there, and both are now living healthy lives and integrating well into the semi-natural enclosures at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center. Inspired by the playful lives of the two previous bears, Sugar and Spice, the organization's staff decided to name the four new bears after this theme: Chilli, Saffron, Pepper, and Ginger, hoping that their future lives will always be exciting and vibrant. The six "Spice Girls" will be reunited at the free home of the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center.

After rescue, the bears will undergo a 30-day quarantine period, during which they will receive health checkups and treatment for any illnesses or injuries, before being grouped together and integrated into semi-natural enclosures.

With the addition of these four bears, the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center now has 186 bears being cared for in the best medical conditions and enjoying life as "true" bears.

Gradually eliminate the use of wild animals in circus performances.

Animals Asia has been campaigning to end the use of wild animals in circus performances in Asia since 2014. Since then, the organization, along with the Asian Alliance for Animals (AFA), has published several reports on the negative psychological and physical impacts of performances on wild animals, and has repeatedly petitioned cultural authorities at all levels.

According to the organization's investigation and statistics, 15 circuses have completely stopped performing with wild animals, and many others are gradually eliminating the use of wild animals in their performances.

Many schools have also pledged not to watch circuses that use wild animals, and around 32,000 Vietnamese people have signed the AFA Alliance's online petition to end the use of wild animals in entertainment.

Animals Asia has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the General Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, aiming to eliminate 100% of remaining bear farms nationwide and rescue approximately 800 more bears in rescue facilities, with a roadmap from 2017 to 2022.

The latest statistics show that there are only about 600 bears kept in farms across the country, while the wild bears number only a few hundred.

Bo Di