Bear bile has been listed as one of the top ten traditional Chinese medicines since ancient times. In the past, obtaining bear bile required killing black bears. In 1984, bear farms began to emerge in China, claiming to extract bile from live bears. On the surface, the "drainage extraction" technique offered a way for bears to survive; in reality, it marked the beginning of their modern tragedy. According to official Chinese data, there are currently over 100 bear farms in China with more than 7,000 "bile bears," not including unofficial statistics. It is estimated that the number of bile bears exceeds the official figures by double when unregistered farms are included.

In the mountainous regions of southwest China, where bear farms are concentrated, there is a farm claiming to be the largest in the country, housing 800 bile bears. During the bile extraction process, the bears wail and roar in agony, creating a scene reminiscent of a living hell. Inside this farm, there is a bile extraction facility spanning nearly 200 square meters, with hundreds of iron cages supported by frames, suspended about one meter above the ground and neatly arranged along the corridors. Each cage confines a massive Asian black bear. Due to the small size of the cages, the bears' large bodies can only lie flat, unable to turn over. For smaller bears, iron frames are inserted into the cages, restricting their movement. The farm's floor is slippery, and the air is filled with a nauseating stench mixed with the foul odor of bile. The caretakers, expressionless, push tool carts and extract bile from each bear in sequence. As humans approach, the bears sense impending doom, frantically pounding on the cages, their eyes bulging and teeth bared as they howl in distress. The caretakers crouch beneath the cages, pull out a 30-centimeter-long iron needle, and thrust it forcefully into the bear's abdomen. The pierced bear lets out a heart-wrenching roar, but the caretaker remains indifferent, calmly placing a container on the ground. Smoky green bile gushes from the bear's abdomen into the container. After the bile extraction, the bear's eyes are bloodshot, its massive body trembling uncontrollably, its mouth emitting low groans of pain, drool dripping continuously, as if enduring immense suffering. It is understood that most Chinese bear farms use traditional catheter drainage methods for bile extraction. In reality, the difference between catheter and non-catheter methods lies only in the reduced risk of infection with the latter, but it does not alleviate the bears' suffering.

Another smaller bear farm, located about 400 kilometers from Kunming, houses 300 bears. The sound of bears crashing against their cages is incessant. On each bear's abdomen, there is a wound that never heals. During bile extraction, a catheter is inserted directly into the gallbladder, connected to a transparent plastic tube, and a syringe is inserted into the tube. In this farm, newborn cubs are immediately placed in incubators, separated from their mothers. After two or three months, they begin circus training to attract tourists. By the age of three, they are moved to the bile extraction room, where they endure indefinite torture and confinement.

Since Chinese law prohibits the slaughter of bears, every bear farm has a "prison for old bears." These elderly bears either stare blankly with lifeless eyes or shake their heads incessantly, as if on drugs, or repeatedly slam their bodies against the cages. Almost every bear subjected to bile extraction goes insane after a few years, repeating the same actions, a clear sign of mental deterioration and stereotypical behavior. Some bears develop infections in their abdomens due to long-term open wounds, with pus and blood continuously oozing from the injuries. In truth, old bears are not without value. Whenever a restaurant orders bear paws, the farm slaughters the old bears, claiming they died of "natural causes." Currently, a bear paw sells for around 3,000 to 4,000 RMB (approximately 1,500 to 2,000 Malaysian ringgit) or more.

Since bears are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), exporting them violates international regulations and Chinese law.Despite the Chinese government's firm declaration that bear bile products absolutely cannot leave the country, in reality, many nations have seen bear bile products originating from mainland China. In the past, bear bile was only used for medicinal purposes, but now, bear farms have developed a variety of products such as bear bile tea, wine, eye drops, ointments, pills, capsules, bear bile powder, and even canned drinks and shampoo.

Although the Chinese government is aware of the severity of the issue of large-scale killing of black bears, the bear farming industry is a spiritual pillar for many remote towns. If abruptly resolved, it would inevitably lead to greater social unrest.

The law prohibits the killing of wild bears, but demand is high, and prices have soared a hundredfold.

A decade ago, bear paws in mainland China were very cheap, costing only 40 to 50 RMB (approximately 20 to 25 MYR) each. However, after the law passed prohibiting the slaughter of protected wildlife, the price of bear paws increased tenfold. In recent years, wild bears have become increasingly scarce, making them highly sought after. The price of a single front paw can now reach 3000 to 4000 RMB (approximately 1500 to 2000 MYR), a hundred times higher than a decade ago. It is known that many Taiwanese pharmaceutical merchants come to China to buy bear bile powder and often purchase two bear paws as well. Hong Kongers, Cantonese, and Taiwanese are the most avid consumers of bear paws and can afford them.

Foreigners purchase bear paws in two ways: one is to process the fur and claws, then cut them into small pieces so they no longer resemble bear paws; or to cook them in advance at a shop and take them away in a thermal pot. In areas where bear farms are distributed, eating bear paws is quite common, especially at wild game restaurants along the Kunming highway in Yunnan.

The invention of live bear bile extraction has driven China's bear farming industry.

Twenty years ago, Asian countries began seeking alternative methods to prevent black bears from being hunted for their bile. In the early 1980s, North Korea invented the method of live bear bile extraction, which led to the prosperity of the bear farming industry. Although black bears captured from the wild could avoid death, they began a life of captivity, confined to narrow cages with metal or rubber catheters inserted into their bodies to regularly extract bile. A few years later, China adopted this method, and bear farming became a hotspot for economic development in many areas, receiving government support. Developing the bear farming industry could meet market demand for bear bile and reduce the number of black bears hunted from the wild. However, as the scale of bear farming expanded, more wild black bears were captured and confined. According to data provided by the Animals Asia Foundation, from 1984 to 1989, an average of 1000 wild black bears were captured and placed in bear farms each year. By 1996, over 7000 black bears were confined in 247 bear farms.

Live bear bile extraction is extremely cruel. Some bears are forced to wear metal "vests" to prevent them from pulling out the catheters when in unbearable pain. Experts say that the surgery to insert the bile extraction catheter is primitive and unhygienic, directly endangering the bears' lives. The wounds remain exposed, never healing, and often become infected. Although bears may appear clumsy, they are quite intelligent. Bears confined in bear farms, half an hour before bile extraction, lose their appetite, knowing their doom is near, and continuously emit cries for help.

Traditional Chinese medicine acknowledges the medicinal efficacy of bear bile and does not consider bile extraction as cruel.

The medicinal effects of bear bile were first recorded in the "Tang Materia Medica," and later detailed in the "Compendium of Materia Medica." Since ancient times, traditional Chinese physicians have used bear bile in prescriptions to treat heart disease, liver, and gallbladder diseases, among others. Therefore, extracting bear bile has never been considered cruel by the Chinese.

In the mid-1970s, a Chinese medical delegation visiting North Korea was astonished to see locals keeping black bears alive and extracting bile daily. This method was far superior to one-time bile extraction, as a single bear could yield over two kilograms of bile in a year.This amount is equivalent to killing over 100 black bears at once. Since then, this method has become popular in China. Even today, some bear farm operators still argue that their practices are not cruel, claiming that at least they do not involve mass killing of black bears and help protect the environment. However, the daily suffering endured by the bears is not within their consideration.

A rescue operation initiated by three parties has signed an agreement to liberate black bears.

An initiative named "Save the Black Bears" was jointly launched by the Animals Asia Foundation, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, and the Sichuan Forestry Department. Seeing 84 black bears, who had suffered greatly in bear farms, now living happily, Jill Robinson, the founder of Animals Asia, said, "The Save the Black Bears initiative took five years to prepare. After rescuing 500 black bears from the worst conditions in Sichuan bear farms, we hope to expand this initiative nationwide within ten years, ultimately phasing out bear farming in China."

Researching alternatives to bear bile.

Founded in 1998, the Animals Asia Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization aimed at improving the living conditions of animals. Its founder, Jill, began investigating and researching the bear farming industry in Asia in 1993.

In July 2002, the Animals Asia Foundation, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, and the Sichuan Forestry Department officially signed an agreement for the "Save the Black Bears" initiative. According to the agreement, the ultimate goal of the initiative is to completely phase out bear farming in China. The agreement includes: the Animals Asia Foundation will provide financial compensation to bear farms releasing black bears; the Sichuan government will hand over the licenses of closed bear farms to the Animals Asia Foundation and will no longer issue new licenses as per national regulations. The three parties also agreed to jointly support the research and production of alternatives to bear bile and encourage consumers to reject products containing bear bile. In fact, only when consumers stop using products containing bear bile can the goal of "completely closing bear farms" be achieved. Therefore, researching alternatives to bear bile is a top priority.

Ending the life of bile extraction.

Now, 37 tortured Asian black bears were rescued from bear farms by the Sichuan Forestry Department in November 2003 and sent to the Longqiao Asian Black Bear Rescue Center in Xindu. These poor, intelligent, and long-suffering black bears will receive treatment and settle here, ending their tragic lives of long-term confinement and bile extraction. Staff from the Animals Asia Foundation conducted preliminary investigations on the rescued bears. Since all 37 bears had undergone "catheter-free bile extraction" surgeries and had been confined and subjected to bile extraction for many years, they suffered significant physical and psychological harm. Currently, the bears are very thin and severely ill, and the rescue center will perform surgeries on several critically ill bears as soon as possible.

It is reported that the rescued bears will stay in the isolation rooms of the rescue center for a month. After that, a team of professional veterinarians from the Animals Asia Foundation will conduct detailed physical examinations, estimate their ages by checking their teeth, and arrange gallbladder removal surgeries based on their physical conditions. After 3 to 6 months, they will be transferred to the rehabilitation area to live for another 3 to 6 months. Subsequently, they will spend the rest of their lives happily in the living area.

Due to the extremely poor farming conditions, the "bile extraction holes" in the bears' abdomens have become severely infected. Some bears are on the verge of death because bile has leaked into their abdominal cavities without timely treatment. If not rescued, most of them would die tragically from the pain of their injuries and illnesses. Besides physical harm, these bears also endure psychological torment. They have been confined in narrow iron cages for long periods, without even the chance to stand, let alone engage in any activities. Some bears have even lost the ability to stand after being rescued.Assisting in the Restoration of Life Skills

Before the arrival of these 37 black bears, the rescue center had already saved 100 black bears, 14 of which died due to severe illness despite rescue efforts, while the other 86 recovered and are now living happily. To restore their life skills, staff hide vegetables and fruits such as carrots, apples, and pears in the activity area for the bears to forage. The area is also planted with many banana trees, which the bears continuously knock down to eat the banana tree hearts.

With the improvement of living conditions, their psychological and physical pain will gradually lessen, and their bodies will gradually recover. Most black bears have already stopped abnormal behaviors or habits such as head banging, and their relationship with humans has also started to become closer.

Changing Cultural Perceptions: Herbs Can Replace Animal Medicine

According to a report by the Chinese Medical Philosophy and Earth Benevolence Association, there are currently at least 54 herbs with effects similar to bear bile, including dandelion, chrysanthemum, and rhubarb. These herbs are more effective than bear bile and cheaper. Therefore, the Chinese Traditional Medicine Association, the Hong Kong Chinese Herbal Medicine Association, and the Hong Kong Pharmacists Association jointly issued a call to "abandon bear bile and use alternative herbs."

Professor Zu Shuxian from Anhui Medical University has been continuously writing articles criticizing the use of animal products in medicine for many years. He said, "Whether from the perspective of treatment effectiveness, patient benefits, or animal protection, there is no need to use these animal products as medicine." Zu Shuxian said, "The use of animals in medicine originated from the animal worship of primitive people, who used the ingestion or application of animal organs or their symbols to enhance their own strength or to exorcise demons and treat diseases."

Today, some primitive tribes and remote areas in the world still maintain this culture. Ancient people, due to their understanding of diseases, could only use natural substances such as plants, animals, and minerals based on intuition and superficial experience to treat diseases. All ethnic groups in the world have gone through such history, but modern European medicine has long abandoned this tradition. Only traditional Eastern medicine still uses various animal materials, including rare animals, many of which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and China's Wildlife Protection Law. The use of animal medicine is based on ancient medical texts and traditional beliefs such as "you are what you eat," the imagery and mystique of medicinal effects. However, to date, there is no scientific basis or clinical evidence proving the therapeutic value of animal medicines such as rhinoceros horn, tiger bone, bear bile, and elephant skin.

The "National Basic Medical Insurance Drug List" issued by the Chinese Ministry of Labor and Social Security has removed most animal medicines such as dog treasure, seahorse, monkey bezoar, deer antler, horse treasure, and various animal organs, tails, tendons, and bones from the important reimbursement list, indicating that these medicines are not essential for treatment. Zu Shuxian emphasized that it is entirely feasible to achieve "no life-made medicines" clinically, and the biggest obstacle is commercial profit. Advertisements claim that bear bile treats various diseases such as hepatitis B, cirrhosis, hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hemorrhoids, cancer, and the so-called "crystal brightening and activating element" extracted from black bear bile, all of which are unfounded.

The 2000 edition of the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia" removed leopard bone from the appendix but still retained products from nationally protected animals such as black bears, brown bears, pangolins, hawksbill turtles, and musk deer, which is worth noting.

In today's world, where caring for animals and protecting nature is gradually becoming a trend, if we still believe that hunting musk deer for musk, killing rhinos for their horns, and extracting bile from live bears are reasonable, it shows that our cultural perceptions are still stuck in an ignorant stage. Although researching substitutes for animal medicines is important, what is more important is changing people's cultural perceptions to address the root of the problem.Since 2003, a total of 61 bile bears have been rescued by the Chengdu Bear Rescue Center. Since the first batch of bears were rescued in August 2000, the Chengdu Bear Rescue Center of the Animals Asia Foundation has rescued 139 Chinese black bears, including two recently rescued from Tianjin, while the other five died due to severe injuries. Among the rescued bears, one named Snubby is completely blind in both eyes, and any unfamiliar sounds or touches terrify it. When the staff laid straw for it, it stretched out and slept on it for the first time instead of curling up in the iron cage. It is a special care object at the center, requiring more love and care to help it forget its past suffering and experiences.

The bears were once confined in rusty cages. Because the cages were too small, they couldn't turn their bodies freely and had to press their faces against a small square opening to receive food. Day after day, year after year, the friction caused the hair on their faces to wear off and scab over, even wearing down their noses, leaving only bloody nostrils. Now, they can happily devour their food and play with rubber toys given by the staff. For the first time in their lives, their limbs can stretch out and move freely. After being rescued and arriving at the center, the bears face a slow recovery process. They must undergo examinations or further surgeries and learn to accept loving care.

The founding process of the Animals Asia Foundation.

1993	Ms. Jill Robinson, founder of the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) and then working for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), discovered the tragic conditions of Asian black bears being kept in iron cages.
1994	After discussions and negotiations, the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA), Ms. Jill Robinson of the Animals Asia Foundation, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Earthcare of Hong Kong, and the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CAMP) jointly drafted an agreement titled "The Final Elimination of Bear Farming." The three parties agreed to work together to secure humane treatment for black bears in bear farms and actively promote herbal alternatives to bear bile.
1999	Relevant Chinese government departments invited the Animals Asia Foundation to inspect 11 bear farms in Sichuan Province, and both sides began negotiations on agreements to rescue black bears and phase out the bear farming industry.
July 2000	The Animals Asia Foundation, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, and the Sichuan Forestry Department jointly signed two agreements.
October 2000	The bear rescue operation began, with 63 black bears rescued from bear farms and 27 bear farms closed.
December 16, 2002	China's first "Asian Black Bear Rescue Center," established by the Animals Asia Foundation, was completed in Longqiao Town, Xindu District, Chengdu City. Eighty-four Asian black bears rescued from bear farms became the center's first "residents."

Source: http:/ / www. chinapress. com. my……sp? sec=sayu& art=0515sayu. txt