VIETNAM – Even the shortest lives can have impact and deserve glowing comments. An astonishing example involving a tiny bear named Tiger unfolded recently after the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) rescued 19 adult moon-bears from a bile farm (see Rescue Too Late For 'Raspberry' Bear).

One diseased animal died soon after reaching the AAF bear-rescue centre near Hanoi. But then came a big surprise…. a baby.

A tiny Asiatic black bear clung to life after his unexpected birth on February 13. Initially weighing 400g, the little guy, named Tiger because he arrived as the Chinese New Year of the Tiger began, gained weight and drank well in his first few days, said AAF manager Belinda Bordelon. Even so, AAF veterinarian Dr Kirsty Officer stayed cautious about his delicate health.

“He started to crave attention and wouldn’t go to sleep without receiving some first,” said Bordelon. “A gentle neck-and-back massage seemed to do the trick. He was very vocal, let anyone nearby know when he wasn’t happy and showed a stubborn ‘bear attitude’ from day one.”

The mother bear, named Italia, came from a stifling 40-foot cargo container on a bile farm just three weeks before giving birth. Since Vietnamese bile farms don’t breed the bears, Italia must have been taken from the wild.

Italia’s initial health-check at the rescue centre didn’t include a pregnancy test. Instead, the vets focused on their biggest concern (the animals’ livers and gall bladders, typically damaged on bile farms).

Veterinary director Dr Heather Bacon said all the bears were palpated, but it was difficult to detect a pregnancy if the muscles were tense. (Vets perform “palpation” by using their hands to apply pressure on the abdomen and feel for abnormalities.)

Tiger’s arrival startled the AAF staff, who found him cold and crying on a concrete floor under his mother’s raised quarantine cage. His ears had been bitten, presumably by his mother trying to pull him up from the cold floor.

“I warmed him up and later offered him some milk (puppy milk formula), which he happily accepted,” Bordelon said. At first, his mother showed stress, but then calmed. “She rested in a nice straw nest for the afternoon and then ate some apple, tomato and watermelon at dinner time.”

AAF founder Jill Robinson said Tiger’s birth after his mother came from a bile farm where the bears were kept in “solitary confinement” proved the mother bear was wild-caught, a violation of Vietnamese law. “Poaching from the wild still happens. Clearly, Italia was wild-caught recently, which also explains her preference for 'browse' (wild grasses and branches) when offered food.”

Then more than a week after Tiger’s birth, the AAF issued a somber notice: “The little moon-bear cub born last Saturday died this morning. He’d had a bad night with labored breathing and refusing to suckle. Our vet and manager stayed up all night giving him oxygen, electrolytes and antibiotics. Sadly, he continued to worsen and died quietly.”

People at the bear-rescue centre will remember Tiger for much longer than he lived. It’s useful to view his photos and to reflect on how precious life really is – be it human or animal life.


Although tiny and delicate, the little bear
shows 'attitude' almost immediately.

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