‘Dogs’ get new home at refuge for bears
Print Edition
A PAIR of Asian black bears raised from cubs by a Chinese farmer who believed they were dogs has been sent to a wildlife protection center.
Wang Kaiyu, a farmer in Maguan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, close to the Vietnam border, said he bought the animals two years ago.
“I was working on my banana farm when a Vietnamese man came up to me and showed me these two ‘pups.’
“He told me they would make good watchdogs, so I bought them,” Wang said.
The farmer raised the pets as puppies, washing and grooming them every day, but soon noticed they did not behave like typical dogs.
“Their appetites were huge. One day I watched them catch a chicken and eat it,” he said.
Only when he visited a wildlife protection exhibition hosted by the local forestry police did Wang realize his pets were actually state-protected bears.
“I loved them so much. People offered to buy them for a lot of money, but I always said no,” he said.
Wang called the forestry police for help and on Tuesday they arranged for the bears to be sent to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center of Yunnan.
Feng Lingui, an officer at the center, confirmed the animals as Asian black bears — one male and one female — and said they are about 3 years old and in good health.
Asian black bears are a class-II protected species in China.
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