Perfume and Lettuce: The Passions of a Moon Bear - Michael Brocklehurst

On his recent trip to Laos, Boyd went on a scavenger hunt for lettuce and fruit with moon bears. They are at Free the Bears sanctuary, that takes in orphaned or injured bears who would not survive in the wild. Many of the bears have been recovered from poachers who try to smuggle them into China or Vietnam for their value on the black market. Program manager Michael Brocklehurst describes their value in traditional Asian medicines as “bile farms” where they keep the bears alive to slowly milk their gallbladders for the valuable bile. And while at the sanctuary, Boyd met the first recipient of brain surgery in Laos – of any species -- a moon bear who otherwise would have died if not for the life-saving operation.