Veterinarian Bloom said experience in China had shown that "some of the bears are completely traumatized, banging on their cages. It's quite a horrible experience. Some bears take years to recover."
AAF admits that its rescue center for 200 bears is a drop in the ocean, with 4,000 bears still in captivity, but Bendixsen said the foundation would be willing to scale up its operation if it gets the green light from Vietnam.
"If the government were going to shut down all the bear farms tomorrow, we could look at a semi-enclosed area, like a safari park, where we could do basic feeding," he said. "We are willing to work with the government, and this is a first step toward ending bear farming once and for all."
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