Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) said the bear, which is also known as a moon bear or a white-chested bear, was handed over to the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Centre located in Soc Son district on September 22.
The rescue comes as a result of the Hanoi Forest Protection Agency’s efforts to crack down on illegal bear breeding since August.
The bear was discovered at the Canh An farm in Phuc Tho district when the agency was conducting an operation to review chip implantation in bears throughout Hanoi in collaboration with the Wildlife Action Plan.
The move was designed to survey the number of chip-implanted bears in Hanoi and discover bears being held illegally.
At the time of transfer, the Asian black bear’s health was in good condition.
ENV Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Dung said the organisation welcomed the positive news as well as the determination of the Hanoi Forest Protection Agency and local authorities.
She added that there are still around 1,200 bears held captive in farms throughout the country, down from more than 4,300 in 2005.
The conservationist said that all illegally held bears must be confiscated and that ending all breeding activity is possible if local authorities elsewhere in Vietnam show the same determination.
According to a report by the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, as of 2014 Vietnam still had some 430 facilities illegally keeping a total of 1,245 bears.
