Moon bears rescued from bile farms in Vietnam

Animal protection group Animals Asia staff handle a cage with a rescued moon bear, at a private bear farm which was targeted by the group during a four-day rescue operation, in Vietnam's north-eastern Quang Ninh province, on June 23, 2015

Quang Ninh (Vietnam) (AFP) - Freed from captivity in tiny metal cages, seven long-suffering Asiatic moon bears have been rescued on bile farms in northern Vietnam, as efforts to end the illegal trade are boosted.

Bear bile farming is banned but it is legal to raise the animals as pets -- a loophole used by illicit Vietnamese farms to feed a regional demand for the digestive fluid, which is believed to possess healing properties in traditional Chinese medicine.