Rescued moon bears arrive at Suffolk forever home

Five moon bears that spent decades living in cages in South Korea have arrived at their new home in Suffolk.

Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park near Ipswich and its charity, Space for the Wild, transported the animals 5,500 miles (8,850km) to their new forever home at the park.

The bears, which arrived on Thursday, had been kept at one of South Korea's last bear bile farms – sites which have now been banned in the country.

Jimmy Doherty, founder of the wildlife park, said the bears would now live a "profoundly better life".

"I will never forget meeting the bears for the first time," he said.

"It was truly hell on earth. You cannot unsee these things.

"It made us all the more determined and focused on our mission - to get these bears safe, protected and living a profoundly better life.

"The work, dedication and public support of so many have made this a reality. I couldn't be more grateful to all involved."

The rescued bears - Bara, Rumi, Saebit, Yonggi and Huimang - are enjoying a new reserve at the park created specifically for them.

It includes space for them to climb, swim and rest among trees and grass.

The park launched a campaign to fund the rescue and has raised more than £90,000 out of a target of £200,000.

South Korea banned the breeding and possession of the bears last year, along with the extraction of bile from their gallbladders.

The bile was used in medicines while the bears themselves were often kept in poor conditions.

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