Bear bile farming: one of the world’s most extreme forms of animal abuse
Image credit: World Animal Protection / Tim Gerard Barker
Bears are one of the most intelligent animals in the world. They can count, use tools, solve problems and communicate with a range of vocalisations and complex facial expressions. However, these sentient mammals are being held in captivity for their ‘bile’ which is a fluid secreted by the liver and is highly valued in traditional Asian medicine.
Bear bile farming is one of the cruellest abuses of animals in the world and is of dubious medicinal value. Their bile is extracted in intolerably inhumane ways, often by people with no veterinary qualifications causing the bears extreme distress and pain. The helpless animals moan and rock due to extreme anxiety, and many of them have broken teeth from biting on the bars of their cages.
Today, not only is their bile a component of traditional Asian medicine but is used in everyday luxury products such as wine, face masks, soda, and tonics – driving up the demand. Making bears suffer in such a horrific and terrifying way is indefensible as there are non-animal alternatives readily available.
It is with your support that the bear bile industry in South Korea has been ground to a halt today, making it the last generation of bears to suffer there. Together, we will continue to take on exploitative industries until the last cage is empty.