22 Asiatic black bears had spent their entire lives locked in small metal cages at a South Korean breeding farm. In this horrific place, not only were they prisoners, but their gallbladders and bile were harvested and marketed as cures for sore throats, cancer, and more recently, as a coronavirus treatment.
“They lived in the most horrific conditions you can imagine,” said Pat Craig, founder and executive director of The Wild Animal Sanctuary in southeastern Colorado.
“This female Moon Bear (Asiatic Black Bear) was kept inside a 5′ x 8′ steel rebar cage her entire life while living at a Bile Bear Farm in South Korea. Having never walked on real ground or grass before, she lifts her feet high with each step and spreads her feet apart in an attempt to find the proper way to walk when steel bars are no longer beneath her feet. The new scents of real dirt, plants, and other fragrances are clearly overwhelming as she begins to navigate her new home,” Wild Animal Sanctuary said in an Instagram post.
In mid-March, Craig’s nonprofit organization rescued the bears, nicknamed “moon bears” for the yellow crescent-shaped markings on their chests. Craig transported them to Colorado, where they can now happily live out the rest of their lives and roam as they please.
“To see them finally free and playing in grass for the first time was really rewarding,” said Craig. “You can tell the bears are happy now,” he added. “They’re able to explore 243 forested [fenced-in] acres, play in the water and act like normal bears.”
Lead Image Source : Steven Latham/Facebook.
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