January 2010 to January 2011
Location: Mekong Delta Bear Sanctuary, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam
Perth Zoo Field Workers: Trueman Faulkner (Supervisor Exotic Mammals), Michelle Rouffignac (Supervisor Veterinary Nursing)
Construction of the Mekong Delta Bear Sanctuary, jointly funded by Australian-based Free the Bears Fund Inc (FTBF) and Vietnam-based Wildlife at Risk (WAR), began in 2009. The sanctuary aids in the recovery and improves the lives of bears that have suffered years of mental and physical neglect either in bear bile farms or in the restaurant and pet trade. The site is a mango and banana tree plantation with dense undergrowth and a tropical climate.
The main office, staff kitchen, amenities, volunteer house and two bear houses are complete. At the moment, there are seven male and two female Asian Black Bears on site and they are divided between the two bear houses. One is designed for short term holding/quarantine and the other has two larger outside enclosures with more planned. The veterinary treatment room is in the process of being furnished.
Asiatic Black Bear.
FTBF and WAR have worked together to set up the site with each committing equal funding. Under Vietnamese law, FTBF cannot operate a sanctuary without a Vietnamese registered organisation. The project is co-managed with a Vietnamese Forest Protection Department staff member with the aim of developing skills within the Vietnamese community so that they can eventually manage the sanctuary themselves.
Trueman: Keen to contribute our skills and knowledge to a conservation-based project in South-East Asia, we looked for positions that matched our experience and expertise. (Trueman applied for a position with Volunteering for International Development from Australia as a Technical Advisor in Animal Husbandry and Michelle applied for an Executive Endeavour Award in Capacity Building in a Veterinary Environment). We were thrilled when both applications were successful, providing us with the opportunity to take leave from our positions at Perth Zoo and make a one-year voluntary commitment to the sanctuary.
Process
Trueman: The opportunity at the sanctuary is to capacity build with keeping staff that six months ago were labouring on site and had never seen a bear before, let alone worked with them. Although the bears were being well cared for, there were improvements to be made to their daily routines that would provide immediate benefits to their welfare, particularly with regards to diet and behavioural enrichment.
Michelle: My aim while at the sanctuary is to develop long term relationships and contacts with local and international visiting veterinarians so that they can perform veterinary procedures when required. I am training local staff in key aspects of health care for rescued bears. These people will be employed at the sanctuary to maintain the health of the bears in the long term. In addition, I’m also developing regular routine health checks on all bears to facilitate a health regime for long term rescued bears. Of course, in order to do this veterinary work, we need the equipment so I’ve spent a lot of time sourcing and setting up necessary field veterinary facilities including anaesthetic and surgical equipment.
Highlights
The view looking out from the sanctuary.
Trueman: One of the highlights was when we introduced the concept of animal training to the keepers as a tool to move bears from one area to another, to treat any injuries and to medicate the bears whilst also providing them with mental stimulation. Their first response was one of disbelief but when I demonstrated the training techniques with one of the bears they were amazed at how quickly the bear caught on. Even more rewarding was seeing the keepers’ amazement at the bears’ positive response. This was a turning point in our relationship with the keepers. From then on, they needed a lot less convincing about trying new ideas. We have also implemented a daily routine that now includes enrichment for every bear at least three times a day on top of training and the play time that they have with each other.
Michelle: A highlight for me has been overseeing the planning and development of a functioning veterinary treatment room. Trips into the nearest large town have been successful for sourcing a wide range of veterinary drugs and equipment. The first time it is used for a veterinary procedure on the bears – which is scheduled to happen very soon – will be a major milestone.
On a personal note, being accepted by the local staff, being greeted by our names with a friendly “xin chao boui sang, anh/em Trueman/Michelle” (even though they find our names hard to pronounce) as we walk up the path to the main building each morning has been a highlight. So too has been the invitations to people’s homes in the village to drink rice wine and “chew the fat”.
Challenges
This site is not connected to a water utility and so relies on rainwater catchment, a natural spring that runs in the wet season and purchasing water on a needs basis. Power to this province is generated in part through hydro-electricity but supply shortages means there are regular rolling power cuts for up to 14 hours at a time. However, the purchase of an on-site generator has been a welcome addition.
We are here with our family: Bruce, three–years–old, and Lacy, who turned six–months–old two days prior to our departure. Shortly after our arrival, it became clear that settling in was going to take some time. Bruce responded with some regression from his otherwise good behaviour and on one occasion we asked him what had happened to using the word please. He fired back with great enthusiasm, “I left all my pleases in Perth”. The site is isolated and although the language barrier is less of a problem for children with “play” a universal activity, the cultural differences in how children are raised and what is classed as acceptable behaviour has left us sometimes less than happy about the nature of the play.
Other challenges are out of our hands but have a daily effect on us. The future development of the bear sanctuary is currently on hold whilst FTBF and WAR meet Government Wildlife Authorities Regulations. This is a slow process that requires consultation with many parties.
Benefits
Erecting a Climbing Pole.
The personal benefits are many and diverse. Most important is the opportunity to work in an environment that has a very different culture to what we are familiar with and to do the best job that we can in sometimes challenging circumstances. We recognise the cultural differences in how animals are perceived and treated in South-East Asia and aim to provide a supportive environment for animals in the sanctuary whilst giving consideration to local community culture.
Perth Zoo will benefit from the new skills that we are developing in husbandry and veterinary work. Often we are working in situations that require more lateral thinking as we do not have the resources, or access too many of the day-to-day things that we would use at Perth Zoo.
The benefit to FTBF and WAR has been our involvement and contribution to the project from the start. As we are the first volunteers here, we hope that our roles will provide a foundation for other volunteers that follow.
