Global News - August 2007
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Rare bear cat rescued
Thu 23 August 2007 13:00 UK — Asia
A rare bear cat has been rescued from captivity by local wildlife officials in Vietnam.
Vietnam News reports that officials saved the bear cat from a hotel in Quy Nhon city in the Binh Dinh province. The team said that the animal had been in captivity for the last decade.
According to the report, the bear cat - which can grow up to three metres in length and weight 20kg - was being held in a two metre square cage when it was saved.
A local expert, Tran Quang Phuong, told the news agency that bear cats were threatened by the illegal wildlife trade and habitat destruction.
He added: "They are registered as vulnerable in the Vietnam Red Book and their numbers and dwindling.
Another wildlife officer, Nguyen Van Thai, added: "When we recovered the bear cat it was showing signs of distress because it had been living in a confined space for such a long period.
"It also had health problems due to a poor diet.
"The bear cat is [now] receiving a specially supplemented diet and is doing very well."
Bear cats normally live in the trees of forest canopies in the rainforests of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Palawan Island.
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