SINGAPORE – On July 2, Jing Lee the moon bear took its first steps in the sunshine after a life spent confined in a cramped cage.
The bear is one of 27 moon bears removed from a bile farm in Laos by conservation charity Free the Bears. The effort was helmed by a team which included Singaporean Karthiriish Chandra.
Jing Lee, named after a law enforcement officer in Laos who helped make the operation a reality, was freed by the charity and the Laotian authorities in May from a foreign-owned, illegal bear bile farm, where the animals had spent years in metal cages.
Speaking to The Straits Times after the bears got their first taste of freedom at Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary, Karthiriish said: “Things that might seem simple or basic to us are completely new to them.
“They hadn’t stood on solid, natural ground, climbed a tree, swum in a pool or even eaten hard vegetables since they were stolen from the wild as cubs.”
At their new home, they can roam in a large forested enclosure with pools of water.
The bears, estimated to be between one and three years old, are learning how to use their teeth for the first time after being fed only cornmeal at the facility, he added.
They immediately began scanning and sniffing their new surroundings, he recalled. One adventurous bear quickly explored the climbing platform, while others scrutinised the plants as well as the keepers.
Since arriving at the sanctuary, the bears have received medical assessments, hydration and stable nutrition to reverse the deprivation they endured, said Karthiriish.
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