Extinction Sucks: Asiatic Black Bears

In many South East Asian countries, bears are kept in horrific, cramped conditions for a shocking, painful purpose: They are milked for their bile. It is believed the bile alleviates fevers. Such is the demand, bears are virtually extinct from the jungles of Vietnam. The practice has recently been made illegal, which means the authorities have confiscated bears they have no idea what to do with, as they cannot be released back into the wild. A charity called Free the Bears tries to provide sanctuaries for these bears, so they can lead a semblance of a normal life. The Extinction Sucks team, Aleisha Caruso and Ashleigh Young, are asked if they can raise some money for a new enclosure in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. They come up with a crazy idea: Enter an Afro-Caribbean dance contest as a ‘dare-for-a-bear’ fundraiser. The only trouble is, Aleisha can’t dance, and it’s her that loses a coin-toss to enter the contest, dressed as a bear. Find out more at Babelgum’s <a href="http://www.babelgum.com/extinction-sucks"> Extinction Sucks </a>