Laos — Tour — Bear Rescue Centre (Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre, Free the Bears), Kuang Si Waterfall (ນ້ຳຕົກຕາດ ກວາງຊີ), Laos

Sad story and good work

September 2015

On my way back from the Kuang Si Waterfall (ນ້ຳຕົກຕາດ ກວາງຊີ), I stopped at the Bear Rescue Centre (Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre, Free the Bears).

Laos has two species of bear: The Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus).

The Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) is also called a Moon Bear due to the moon-shaped white patch of fur on their chests — for more information on Moon Bears, see Wikipedia.

The Malayan Sun Bears (Helarctos malayanus) are smaller than Moon Bears and have shorter, dark brown fur with a rounder, yellow chest marking — for more information on Sun Bears, see Wikipedia.

I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into the Rescue Centre. At first glance, it appeared to be one of those depressing places you often encounter with animals kept in cruel conditions. But as I went around the centre and learnt about their fantastic work, I realised that my initial impressions were incorrect.

The Bear Rescue Centre (Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre, Free the Bears), as the name suggests, rescues bears, and these bears need rescuing because they have been poached, injured, illegally held in captivity as pets, or held in captivity in appalling conditions and ‘milked’ for their bile. You can learn more about ‘Free the Bears’ at their website — https://freethebears.org/ — and additional information about the Bear Rescue Centre (Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre, Free the Bears) at — https://freethebears.org/pages/laos-sanctuaries.

Sadly, we need places like the Bear Rescue Centre (Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre, Free the Bears), but seeing the fantastic work they are carrying out was inspiring.

If you are in the area, try to drop by the Bear Rescue Centre and give them your support.

Foursquare: Bear Rescue Centre