Year 3: Young Enterprise supporting Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary

This term, the students in Year 3 have run a wonderfully successful Young Enterprise topic all in aid of one of our community partners, Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary

You can read more about the fabulous work they have done on the school HUB articles published last week. These range from market research and making merchandise to sell at the Young Enterprise Fair to delivering letters and presentations to parents.
Ms. Hang the education officer at the bear sanctuary visited British International School to talk to the students about the evils of bear bile farming and the needless suffering of the bears. Anyone who uses bear bile is really only supporting cruelty and being fooled by the misleading marketing.There is not a shred of scientific proof that bear bile is a miracle cure for many serious diseases, when in fact it can even worsen a person’s health!

This week we completed the project by visiting Tam Dao bear sanctuary where they can care for up to 200 bears. Everyone was impressed with the dens and semi-natural enclosures that keep the bears safe, healthy and happy.  They also have a veterinary hospital, bear kitchen, cub house, and an education center and herb garden.   
The good news is there are at least 32 herbal plants that can be used as alternatives to bear bile that are commonly sold at many traditional medicine practitioners. So not only are such plants effective and safe, more importantly they don’t harm bears.

It is important to know that since 1992 it has been illegal in Vietnam to hunt, trade, advertise or sell bears and bear-related products. This has seen a decrease in the number of bears in captivity; however 1,200 bears in Vietnam are still imprisoned on bear bile farms and kept in dreadful conditions. Tam Dao bear sanctuary along with Animal Asia have made a promise to continue the wonderful work to support the bears until the cruelty ends.

This message has motivated our students to try and do as much as they can to help, they raised a spectacular VND 20,802,000 during this project and even more importantly they have promised never to use bear bile products and become superheroes by spreading the word to family and friends. 

Mr. Kevin Halpin, Community Service Manager