HCM CITY — The Ministry of Information and Communications on Sunday published a set of bear stamps that will be available at post offices across the country.

The set includes four stamps covering two bear species in Viet Nam: moon bear (Ursus thibetanus) and sun bear (Ursus malayanus). Both species are listed in the Vietnamese Red Book as endangered species.

"The publishing of these stamps contributes to the conservation of bears as well as other endangered wildlife in Viet Nam," said Nguyen Vu Khoi, CEO of the non-profit organisation Wildlife At Risk (WAR), which provided technical support for publishing the stamp set.

"Everyone can join WAR to save bears by not using bear bile and other bear products," Khoi said.

On the occasion, WAR also published a set of six postcards called "Save our bears".

According to the Forestry General Department, more than 4,000 bears, mostly moon bears, are being kept for bile extraction. The figure is much higher than bears found in the wild. — VNS