Against all odds: Anuk the sun bear cub’s incredible journey

Sun bear cub Anuk arrived at BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam in dire condition – sick, severely dehydrated, and barely clinging to life. Rescued by global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS in mid-August, the roughly five-month-old cub has made an incredible recovery thanks to round-the-clock care.

Anuk’s story highlights the dark reality of the illegal wildlife trade. Likely smuggled from Laos into Vietnam, she was discovered in a taxi at a bus station in Thanh Hóa, where traffickers intended to send her further south.

Quick intervention by local police ensured her safety, and she was taken to the sanctuary. Today, Anuk is thriving in her new home, where she can grow up in peace, free from harm.

Anuk’s journey: From fragile beginnings to a life of care

Orphaned at a very young age, Anuk’s immune system is still fragile. When she arrived, she was critically ill and required intensive care.

“She was in a critical state. With expert veterinary care and love, our team nursed her back to life,” says Magdalena Scherk-Trettin, senior project manager at FOUR PAWS. “While we’re happy Anuk was found in time, it’s heartbreaking that she’ll never know life in the wild.”

Now a healthy, playful cub, Anuk enjoys her bottle feeds five times a day, along with a diet of vegetables and ants. Sadly, a lack of rehabilitation programmes and safe wild habitats means she cannot be released into the wild. Instead, Anuk will spend her life in the sanctuary’s care.

Sun bears in Vietnam: A species on the brink

Sun bears, like Anuk, are critically endangered in Vietnam. Both sun and Asiatic black bear populations have been decimated by the wildlife trade and the brutal bile farming industry, where bears are kept in tiny cages and subjected to painful bile extraction for traditional medicine.

Despite a ban on bear bile farming in 2005, the practice persists, with around 200 bears still suffering on bile farms across the country.

Anuk is the only sun bear currently at BEAR SANCTUARY. She loves climbing in her enclosure, mimicking her wild instincts of scaling trees to forage for fruit and insects or build nests.

Safe haven for rescued bears

Since 2017, FOUR PAWS has been working to rescue bears from cruel conditions and provide them with a species-appropriate home. BEAR SANCTUARY, developed in partnership with the Vietnamese government, serves as a sanctuary and education centre to raise awareness about wildlife conservation.

The sanctuary spans 5.5 hectares and includes spacious outdoor enclosures, bear houses, a veterinary clinic, and a quarantine area. Currently home to 45 Asiatic black bears and little Anuk, it offers a chance at a better life for these rescued animals, far removed from the horrors of the wildlife trade and bile farms.

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