ANIMALS ASIA VIETNAM BEAR RESCUE CENTRE

That this House notes that Animals Asia has been working with the Vietnamese government to end the practice of bear bile farming in Vietnam since 2005; further notes that the Animals Asia Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre located in Tam Dao National Park, which houses 104 rescued bears, is under threat of closure due to the land beingdeclared of national defence significance; further notes that this claim is questionable, given that the rescue centre has been in operation since 2005, and that the area in which it is located has been used for tourism and other private purposes since the park opened in 1996; observes that this eviction would lead to further welfare problems for the rescued bears, the loss of local jobs and a financial loss to the local economy; and calls on the UK Government to raise this matter with the Vietnamese Prime Minister with the aim of ensuring that the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre remains in Tam Dao National Park and that Animals Asiais allowed to continueits vital rehabilitation and education work in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.