Five moon bears trade twenty years behind bars for a Suffolk meadow

Bara, Rumi, Saebit, Yong-gi and Huimang spent more than two decades in small metal cages on South Korean bear farms, where bears were once kept for their bile. That trade is now over: breeding and bile extraction were banned from 1 January 2026 under a landmark agreement between the government, farmers and animal-welfare groups. This week the five Asiatic black bears arrived at Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park near Ipswich, travelling in specially designed crates with vets and experienced handlers, after a public appeal raised more than £90,000 (about $122,000) from around 3,700 donations. They will settle in quietly, away from visitors, while keepers watch their health — the first of some 200 bears still waiting in South Korea for homes like this one.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: policy reform