VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities said that four more bears have died in a private farm in Ha Long City in Quang Ninh Province.

Authorities perform an autopsy on a dead bear in Ha Long, Quang Ninh Province on Monday -- Photo: LD

The bears belonged to a farm owned by Nguyen Trong Bo in Dai Yen Ward in Ha Long city. According to the farm owner, the bears were found dead on Monday morning, when he was planning to feed them.

The authorities believe that the bears died of starvation, pneumonia and intestinal bleeding. In January, four bears had died in the same farm, bringing their number down to five from 40 several years ago.

A government ban on the extraction of bear bile has reportedly led bear owners to leave the animals to starve to death. According to authorities, 106 bears died in Quang Ninh Province in 2014, and 15 died in the first two months of 2015.

Authorities and international organisations have been coordinating to get the bears in these private farms transferred to the Bear Rescue Centre in Vinh Phuc Province.

VNS