In love with Vietnam

Harold Browning, a wild animal rescuer in Vietnam

The need of wild animal protection and conservation brought Harold Browning from the UK to  Vietnam. With his wildlife knowledge, skills, and experience, Harold hopes to end the illegal wildlife trade and restore as well as conserve the ecosystems of Vietnam.

 

Harold Browning was sent to Vietnam by Four Paws in 2015. Here, he and his colleagues founded the Four Paws Viet Foundation. They designed and built the Bear Sanctuary in Ninh Binh with a total area of over 900m2 including housing facilities with outdoor playgrounds for bears to exercise.

During his three years of working at the bear sanctuary until now, Browning and his colleagues have rescued and cared for 46 bears who were victims of illegal bear bile extraction and body parts. Over time, he became familiar with each individual bear while helping them restore their health.

Harold once said that, just looking at  the individual bears after being rescued with their intense revival ability, he felt like he had more joy and motivation to do his job.


Harold Browning works as an expert at the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

He has whole-hearted contributions for the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

Harold Browning is making an outdoor place for the tigers. Photo: Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

Every day Harold Browning learns about the habits of animals to come up with a suitable design of the barn. Photo: Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

The Indochinese tiger is an animal of special concern to Harold Browning,

and is endangered in the wild. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

Harold Browning đang trấn an một con gấu trong quá trình chuyển địa điểm sinh sống. Ảnh: Tư liệu

Harold Browning spent 3 years (2011 -2014) as a care Manager for rhinos and ungulates at  Longleat Safari Park, UK. from 2014 to 2017, he worked as an Animal Manager for FOUR PAWS Kosovo and Deputy Director, FOUR PAWS Vietnam. Since 2018, Browning has been the Animal Welfare Advisor of Animals Asia with his main responsibilities of working with the  Vietnam governmental rescue centers.

In 2018, Browning worked as an animal welfare advisor for Animals Asia. Each year, the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center received and rescued about 1000-1700 animals, but the housing  conditions back then were still limited and the center's area was only about 1 ha. Browning has synthesized, designed and compiled numerous documents based on scientific research and actual needs of the center in many aspects such as quarantine procedures, recommendations on diet, enclosure designs in accordance with the behavior repertoire and natural characteristics specific to each species rescued at the center. These documents were then translated into Vietnamese and handed over to the staff for reference and implementation.

 


Director of the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center exchanges with Harold Browning about the structure of tiger cages. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

Harold Browning talks with Thuy (a care worker) at the outdoor tiger area after being rescued.

Photo: Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

Harold Browning luôn vui vẻ chia sẻ những câu chuyện trong quá trình làm nghề với cán bộ công nhân viên tại Trung tâm.
Ảnh: Trần Thanh Giang

Harold Browning gives instructions on how to make cages for animals using bamboo. Photo: Files

Browning also works directly with Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh) and Hoang Lien National Park (Lao Cai) to improve the conditions for rescued animals and is an expert who gives advice to rescue facilities in Yok Don National Park (Dak Lak) and Cat Tien (Dong Nai). 

 



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