Rick Wakeman plays private concert for 150 rescued moon bears in Vietnam
Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman played a private concert for 150 rescued moon bears at a sanctuary in Vietnam to draw attention to bears still held in cages for bile extraction. Rolling Stone
The performance took place on Thursday, 24 September at an Animals Asia sanctuary. Wakeman, 77, played new pieces written for the bears on a Yamaha grand piano set up inside the enclosure area. The Guardian
The bears wandered, rested and listened as he played. No tickets were sold. The audience numbered 150.
The concert was organised to raise awareness of bile farming. Bear bile is removed with a needle inserted into the gall bladder and is used in traditional Chinese medicines. The market for bile is one of the largest in the illegal wildlife trade in East Asia, according to the most recent report. Rolling Stone
So-called bile farms were outlawed in Vietnam. Some bears remain in captivity on old farm sites.
Wakeman said the sanctuary now houses 150 bears, while 125 bears remain in cages elsewhere in the country. He said he wanted his visit to press the government to release those animals. The Guardian
What makes this stand out is how long the connection runs. Wakeman has sponsored rescued bears since 2016 and serves as a UK ambassador for Animals Asia, the animal protection organisation that runs the sanctuary. The Dodo
One of his recent adoptees, a 20-month-old bear, was among those present for the performance. Wakeman flew to Vietnam earlier that week for the one-off set.
Vietnam has been working to close the remaining bile farms and move bears into sanctuaries. For the staff and the 150 bears in care, the concert was a break in routine. For the 125 still caged, Wakeman said, it was meant as a message.
