After years in tiny cages, 27 moon bears in Laos finally taste freedom

AI Summary

Twenty-seven Asiatic black bears trapped for bile extraction in Laos have been rescued and are now experiencing freedom with access to clean water and natural ground for the first time in years. The rescue was carried out by a conservation group dedicated to animal welfare.

For two years, some of them never touched the ground. Locked in tiny wire cages and destined for a life of being drained of bile through syringes or surgically implanted taps, the 27 Asiatic black bears rescued in northern Laos this week had known almost nothing of what it means to be a bear. Now, for the first time in years, some are finally drinking clean water freely. Others are feeling solid earth beneath their paws for the first time. The rescue, completed this week by conservation group...