Bear bile farming involves keeping bears in captivity — often in small cages — to extract bile from their gallbladders for use in traditional medicine. An estimated 10,000-20,000 bears, primarily Asiatic black bears (moon bears) and sun bears, are kept in bile farms across China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Laos. The welfare costs are severe and well-documented. Effective alternatives to bear bile exist. The industry is declining under sustained advocacy pressure but continues to cause enormous suffering.
The Welfare Reality
Bears on bile farms face multiple severe welfare compromises:
- Confinement: Many bears are kept in "crush cages" so small they cannot stand or turn around — some for their entire adult lives
- Extraction methods: Bile is extracted through catheters, permanent holes in the abdomen, or surgery — all causing pain, infection risk, and chronic suffering
- Chronic pain: Gallbladder infections, peritonitis, liver tumors, and musculoskeletal disorders from confinement are common
- Psychological suffering: Bears show severe stereotypic behaviors — head-swaying, repetitive movements — indicating chronic psychological distress
- Long captivity: Bears can live for decades; some are farmed for their entire adult lives
Animals Asia Foundation and other organizations have documented conditions at hundreds of farms and rescued hundreds of bears — providing firsthand evidence of the suffering involved.
The Reform Movement
The campaign against bear bile farming has made significant progress:
- Vietnam committed to ending bear bile farming — the number of farmed bears has declined from ~4,000 to under 400
- South Korea's bear farming industry is in decline under domestic pressure
- China's government has shown some receptiveness to reform, with some provinces restricting farms
- Multiple synthetic and herbal alternatives to bear bile are available and medically equivalent
- Animals Asia and Moon Bear Rescue operate sanctuaries rescuing bears from farms
What You Can Do
- Donate to Animals Asia Foundation — the leading bear rescue organization
- Never purchase products containing bear bile
- Support campaigns pressuring governments to end bear farming
- Spread awareness — most people are unaware this industry exists