Bear begins to chew its own limbsin an attempt to free itself from the pain
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A weak and ailing bear in a painful harness |
Bear cage does not allow bear to have free movement |
Tragic life in a cage so small thebear cannot stand up or turn around. Injuries develop to the head, paws and back fromthe repeated rubbing on the cage bars. |
Each day, hundreds of bears are surgically mutilated for their gall bile on bear farms in China.
On most farms, surgery to enable bile extraction is carried out by
farm owners with no veterinary training.During illness, drugs are sometimes administered,
but when they are not effective, bears are commonly left to die.
Chinese specialists in bear farming techniques inform that for every two successful bile fistula implantations,
there are another two or three bear deaths due to complications and infections.
During bile milking, the bears show signs of severe distress.
Moaning and banging of heads against the cage is common, while some bears were seen to chew their own paws.
Between the ages of five and ten, bears may stop producing bile.
They are then put in another cage, where they wait, either until death comes through sickness or starvation,
or they are killed for their paws and gall bladders.
Recent developments show that approximately 9,000 bears are kept for bear bile farming.
Developments:
The Chinese government has steadfastly refused
to bow to public and international pressure to stop this horrendous cruelty and close these farms.
In fact, across China more than 10,000 moon bears remain in tiny cages never feeling the sun on
their backs or grass under their feet. They can be kept like this for up to 30 years. This cruel
practice continues despite the availability of many effective and affordable alternatives.
Bear Bileproduct availability ...
Over the course of the past three years, WSPA and member societies have surveyed hundreds of shops and
companies in eight countries. A wide variety of products were found including manufactured bear bile medicines,
bear bile powder, and bear gall bladders. Illegal bear products were most readily available in the U.S. (91%),
Malaysia (78%), Japan (77%), and Singapore (74%), closely followed by Canada (67%),
Indonesia (62%), Australia (49%) and Taiwan (30%).
Is Bear Bile on your shelf or in your diet?
In recent years,
there has been a dramatic growth in the production of bear bile products, which has spawned a market for a whole new
range of items far removed from the formulations of traditional Chinese medicine. Today, bile is used as an ingredient
in shampoo, wine, eye drops and all manner of pre-prepared ointments. In 1999, bottles of bear bile wine were even
handed out as gifts for passengers on internal flights.
There are many alternatives to Bear Bile
There are many alternatives to bear bile on the market, containing the active constituent found
in bear bile: UrsoDeoxyCholic Acid (UDCA). It is estimated that 100,000 kg of synthesised
UDCA is already being consumed each year in China, Japan and South Korea, and that the world consumption
may be double this figure. Many Chinese practitioners also state that there
are at least 75 herbal alternatives that can replace the use of bear bile.
Sign a petition to stop this horrific cruelty
Sign Petition.
Word of mouth gets results!
Email Ambassador Guy Saint-Jacques,
The Embassy of Canada in Beijing, China.
Our Ambassador is the voice of Canadians!
Support Jill Robinson,
Animals Asia Foundation, with a donation. Read our
interview with Jill to learn of her amazing work.
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