Most pianists perform for crowds that clap, cheer, and request encores. Rick Wakeman, the celebrated keyboard player from the band Yes, on the other hand, recently played live for a very different audience, more than 150 rescued moon bears in a Vietnamese forest sanctuary. The concert was joyful, but it emerged not only out of his love for the wildlife but also carried an urgent purpose. Wakeman wants the last 125 bears still locked in cages on old bile farms moved to sanctuaries before more of them die. Here’s what happened at the concert, how the bears reacted, and why moon bears need protection. The event also drew attention to the ongoing rescue efforts aimed at ending bear bile farming in Vietnam.
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