Bear Bile Dangers in Asia - Hanya Awan

Bear bile farming is a type of method that farmers used to extract bile from the gallbladders of living bears. The origination of this method of farming began in the late 1900s, specifically in the 1980s timeframe, in China. This method is very harmful, as the process of extracting bile is done when the bears are alive. The conditions of the bears are inhumane as they are kept inside cages so compact that the bears are unable to move, turn or stand on all four of their legs inside. The extract from the bears is used for human medicine that was first popularized in China and now, surrounding countries such as Vietnam are also practising this routine to do the same for medicine. At the start of the early 1990s, there were over 400 bear farms in China, including over 10,000 bears suffering from physical pain and living conditions. The bears that are kept in cages are not only adult bears but also newborn cubs kept in cages for over 30 years which excludes them from developing early childhood instincts and the outside exposed wild where they usually explore and live in.

Aside from the size and physical pain that these bears are suffering from, the food and water that is given is often such a minimum portion they starve for a few days, leaving them to be dehydrated, suffering from multiple diseases such as malignant tumours that result in killing the animals. The methods used to extract the bile vary, but all of the methods include the bears suffering severe pain and leaving them with infections. The surgery that is performed to extract the bile is usually unhygienic, crude and rarely performed by a professional such as a veterinarian. The bears often die and those who do survive, live the rest of their lives in agony.

Though the bear bile that is sold in powder form as a medicine is often seen as a “cure” or, “treatment” for sore throats, acne, hemorrhoids, and even cancer. Research has indicated that the bile that is extracted from these sick bears is often contaminated with harmful substances such as blood, pus, urine, bacteria and sometimes even cancer cells. The bear pile is rising in demand in Asia from countries that include: China, Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Vietnam.

Today, it is recorded that there is an estimate of over 10,000 ongoing bears that are suffering on Chinese bear bile farms, with over 400 more in Vietnam. Pharmaceutical companies often own these farms despite a law in Vietnam, existed since 2005 that stated that bear piling farms are illegal. Vietnamese farmers are disobeying the law and exploiting this illegal situation and continuing to agonize the bears in cages. The result of this long-time trade results in the species of sun bears and moon bears being endangered and almost extinct. A petition to Help Four Paws International Organization has created a petition to stop this horrific and violent act towards bears in the bile trade. This ongoing future can impact both human health and all bear species.