Bear Bile Farming: Humanity’s One-Way Ticket to Hell
We all know humans are capable of doing some pretty diabolical things to both animals and each other, but bear bile farming is up there. A heinous act of removing bear bile from the body of a live bear, it cannot be overstated how atrocious this practice is.
This article will explain the basics of bear bile farming. We have opted not to show distressing imagery or divulge the full graphic details because it is very upsetting and we don’t want to discourage education of the subject due. If you think you’re prepared to see what really goes on, we’ll share a link to an article at the end of this blog.
What is Bear Bile?
Bear bile is bile from a bear. It’s that simple. Many animals, humans included, produce bile as part of the digestive process. It’s produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder of a bear. It’s bile. The difference with bear bile is that it contains an anti-inflammatory, which is used in numerous traditional medicinal remedies for treating often very mild symptoms. There is no live-saving drug that requires bear bile, and all anti-inflammatory effects can be achieved through other medicines. Bear bile is not necessary for the treatment of any condition.
What is Bear Bile Farming?
Bear bile farming is the process of removing bile from a bear. This used to be done through hunting and killing animals, removing gallbladders and taking bile. In order to sustain wildlife populations, governments legalised farming of bile through live bears but made it illegal to hunt and kill bears. The result is that the majority of bear bile is sourced legally through bear bile farming. The idea being that wildlife numbers would be maintained all while sustainable bile was harvested through live bears.
How is Bear Bile Extracted?
Painfully. There are a few different ways bear bile farming can be carried out, and each is more horrific than the last. While they are different methods involved in each, there are essentially two primary methods of bear bile farming:
Repeated Extraction - Bile is repeatedly removed from the bear through surgery. They are sewn up, left to collect more bile then surgery is carried out again.
Permanent Graft - An apparatus is fitted to a bear through a hole cut into their abdomen. This permanent fixture means bile farming can be done continuously.
Permanent grafts can include a metal suit attached to the bear which collects the bile as it is produced, or they can be closed and opened.
Facts About Bear Bile Farming
It’s Very Much Legal in China - Bear bile farming is huge business in China. Not just as an underground operation, but as a legal practice. Major pharmaceutical firms profit from bear bile farming.
It’s Illegal in Vietnam - Many countries are waking up to the horrors of bear bile farming. Vietnam has made it illegal, although the now-illegal trade is still rampant.
Bear Bile Farming is Very Painful - The bears involved are treated poorly. Crush cages, while illegal in China, are still common. They force the bears into states where they cannot move. Bile bears often have complications from their surgeries, including inflammation and infections. They are regularly kept in unhygienic conditions and have long-term health problems like rotten teeth, bone deformities and cancers.
Bears Farmed for Bile Don’t Live Long - The average life expectancy of a bile bear is around 5 years, compared to that of around 30 years of a wild or captive bear in a zoo. This is due to the severe stress and trauma they suffer both mentally and physically. Some would argue this is a blessing, as most don’t have to suffer long; although some bile bears do live 30 years or longer.
Bile Bears Suffer Immense Mental Trauma - As highlighted already, anxiety and mental trauma are very common. Bile bears are known to self-harm and even kill themselves through self-inflicted violence.
Bear Bile is a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry - Even today, bear bile is worth a total market value of around $2 billion.
It’s Not All Bad News
There is nothing good about bear bile farming, but there is hope for these bears. New methods of accessing a synthetic version of the anti-inflammatory chemical produced by bear bile could help end the commercial industry as it provides a faster and cheaper way of creating medication.
The majority of people are also heavily opposed to bear bile farming, with 87% of people in China (the biggest producer of bear bile) claiming they are firmly against the practice and view it as cruel.
There are major operations underway to support and rescue bears farmed for their bile. At Xplore Our Planet, we support Animals Asia. This organisation does a lot of great work across the continent but is primarily focused on ending bear bile farming and freeing as many bears as possible from this horrific enslavement.
If you want to be a part of the solution, we suggest you help Animals Asia any way you can. Financial donations are vital for their efforts, but if you can’t afford that, then don’t be disheartened. You can still share the plight of bile bears, get involved on social media, spread the word about Animals Asia campaigns and be part of the movement for change.
Want to see the great work that can be done? The video below shows Tuffy, a freed bile bear enjoying a new life at the Animals Asia sanctuary.
See more about the horrors of bile bear farming here. Warning, upsetting imagery.
