Experts say bear cubs – primarily brown bears, sun or Malayan bears, and moon bears – are snatched from their mothers and kept in squalid cages by bile-farming operators to extract the fluid used in the production of traditional medicine.
Despite strong international campaigns, the practice has been thriving since the 1980s in countries such as China, Laos, Vietnam and South Korea.
According to World Animal Protection’s “Wildlife’s Not Medicine” campaign manager Evan Sun, these bears have been turned into commodities and denied basic welfare to roam free in their habitat or express much of their natural behaviour.
“Bear bile farming is extremely cruel. Large amounts of bile are extracted and turned into powders, capsules and ointments,” Sun told Bernama in an email interview.
“Bears in these facilities are often forced to endure painful extractions. Many are kept in tiny cages in appalling conditions for the duration of their lives, which can be up to 20 years.”
World Animal Protection is a global organisation that has been working tirelessly for the last 70 years to end animal exploitation.
The American National Library of Medicine describes the extraction method as a “free-dripping fistula technique”, where non-veterinarians insert a catheter into bear gallbladders to drain bile.
After the process, the bears are left to suffer without medical attention. Many have died from contamination or cancer.
‘Extreme suffering’
Bear bile contains high levels of ursodeoxycholic acid, used in the treatment of liver and gallbladder conditions in humans, experts say. In traditional Asian medicine, bear bile is used to cure inflammation and fever, for detoxification, and to reduce swelling or pain.
“Bears are one of the world’s most iconic wild animals, yet thousands endure extreme suffering their whole lives. We have worked on ending bear bile farming for more than 30 years,” Sun said.
An unknown number of bears are held in cages across the region. International wildlife agencies are working tirelessly with governments to stop this illegal trade.
There is, however, a silver lining to this inhumane activity: growing awareness and strict law enforcement in Vietnam and South Korea. Hanoi celebrated a milestone achievement last month when it shut down bile farms with World Animal Protection’s help.
In 2005, about 4,000 bears were kept illegally in 1,390 bile farms in Vietnam. But as of last August, the numbers have dropped to 192 on 60 bear farms – a 95% reduction – following extensive awareness campaigns conducted jointly by wildlife agencies and the Vietnamese government.
“This is not just a victory for the bears; it is a victory for everyone who has worked so tirelessly to protect them. We want to see every bear in Vietnam rescued and moved to a sanctuary to live the rest of their lives free from cruelty, pain and suffering,” Sun said.
“Vietnam is on the near end of bear bile farming, and South Korea also announced a victory to phase out the industry.”
On Jan 1, South Korea will end its 40-year bear bile farming industry after decades of campaigns waged against the trade.