Young artists share their vision for protecting Vietnam’s bears

Bright colours, thoughtful messages and a shared commitment to wildlife protection filled Cat Tien National Park, the home of the Vietnam bear sanctuary, as local students came together for a conservation drawing competition focused on one of Vietnam’s most iconic wildlife species – bears.

The “Together Protecting Bears – Sending Love from Cat Tien” drawing contest gave young people from communities surrounding the park, a creative platform to share their hopes for bears, forests, and a future where wildlife is protected, not exploited.

Vietnam has made significant progress in recent years to reduce the exploitation of bears, particularly through the closure of bear bile farms and stronger wildlife protection laws. Education plays an important role in ensuring these harmful practices do not return and that wildlife is respected long into the future.

Through their artwork, students explored:

• Bears living in their natural forest habitats

• Stories of bear rescue and rehabilitation

• The role people play in protecting wildlife

• The clear message: “No keeping. No trading. No using bear bile.”

As part of the experience, students also had the opportunity to visit rescued bears living at the Cat Tien sanctuary. They observed bears behaving naturally in large, forested enclosures, foraging, climbing, resting and enjoying enrichment.

Seeing rescued bears living safely helped reinforce why responsible human behaviour matters.

The values young people form now, will influence how wildlife is treated in the years to come. By building understanding and a love of nature at a young age, we can create the next generation of wildlife protectors – people who recognise that bears belong in forests, not in cages, and who are empowered to stand up for wildlife in their communities.

This activity was delivered in partnership with Cat Tien National Park.

Learn more about school visits: https://freethebears.org/pages/schools-and-youth