Police in Vietnam have seized an illegal transport of bear legs. The bear parts were being transported from Laos to Vietnam. The legs have been identified as belonging to the endangered sun bear. Bears in Mind supports the ongoing battle against illegal wildlife trade, among others by supporting a TRAFFIC project: Sun bears in trouble.

Source: Thanh Nien News (http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/vietnam-busts-illegal-transport-of-18-bear-legs-from-laos-64663.html)

Police in the central province of Thanh Hoa seized 18 frozen bear legs transported aboard a bus by its driver without a license on Tuesday July 26. The limbs, weighing 38 kilograms in all, were identified as belonging to red-listed sun bears, news website VnExpress said. Dinh Hong Phuong, 47, the driver, and Bui Thien Loi, 52, the bus owner, told the police that a man had paid them to deliver the legs from Laos to Vietnam.

The police also confiscated the bus for further investigation. Sun bears are categorized as "endangered" in Vietnam, where they are protected from hunting. Along with Asian black bears, sun bears are often targeted for their bile, hands and legs for use in traditional medicine. (Photo: VnExpress)