II hope this message finds you well, wherever you are in this wide world. During the 20+ years I lived and worked in Asia, I had the incredible privilege of having regular contact with the phenomenal Jill Robinson, Founder and CEO of Animals Asia. Bear Necessity Korea (BNK) was a grassroots NGO rooted in passion, …
It’s a practice that sounds so barbaric that you assume it would have been outlawed at least a century ago. And yet, South Korea is only just now, as of January 1, 2026, getting around to pulling the plug on its most disgusting and cruel tradition: bear bile farming.
Artist Paula Belle Flores gifts us all with her majestic imagery and prose. A rare treat for lovers of the moon, bears, and moon bears. Enjoy!
In South Korea, the Ministry of Environment issued guidelines for the safety of hikers, as moon bears inhabiting the mountainous area of Jirisan are about to end their hibernation, Friday.
Last year Animals Asia broke ground on our second bear sanctuary in the beautiful mountainous region of Bach Ma, which will be home to the last 300 bears who remain on bile farms in Vietnam. After decades of campaigning and rescuing bears, the image of what Vietnam will look like without bear bile farming is at last coming into focus.
SAVING BEARS... 