TV farmer flies five bile-farm moon bears 5,500 miles to new Suffolk home in UK-first rescue

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Five Asiatic black bears rescued from a South Korean bile farm have arrived at Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park near Ipswich after a 5,500-mile journey, in what Jimmy Doherty called 'the beginning of the end of their long life in those terrible conditions.' The bears — Bara, Rumi, Saebit, Yong-gi and Huimang — were transported in specially designed crates under veterinary supervision, making this the first time moon bears have ever been relocated from South Korea to the UK.

One bear, Bara, had been caged at the bile farm since 1998 — spending nearly three decades behind rusty metal bars.

South Korea banned its bear bile industry on 1 January 2026, but roughly 200 bears remain trapped in facilities with nowhere near enough sanctuary space.

'Six months ago I made them a promise,' Doherty said. 'Today, that promise has become a reality.'