Bear Welfare: Bile Farming, Trophy Hunting, and Conservation

Bears face welfare threats across multiple contexts including bile farming, trophy hunting, road and rail mortality, and habitat loss that intersects complex conservation and welfare concerns.

Key Facts

Approximately 10,000-20,000 bears are kept on bile farms in China, Vietnam, and South Korea, typically in cages too small to stand or turn around
Bear bile is extracted via surgically implanted catheters or metal jackets in conditions associated with chronic pain, infection, and psychological distress
Trophy hunting of bears is permitted in several countries including Canada, Russia, and parts of the United States; its conservation justification is contested
In parts of Southeast Asia, sun bears are kept as pets or in tourist attractions where they exhibit severe welfare deprivation
Brown and black bear populations in North America are expanding their range into human-settled areas, creating conflict that often ends in lethal control

Welfare Considerations

Bile farming is one of the most severe welfare situations for any captive animal. Bears on bile farms spend their entire lives in chronic pain from infected extraction sites, in cages that prevent any natural movement, and in complete social isolation. The welfare case against bile farming is overwhelming and uncontested among animal welfare scientists. Transitioning China and Vietnam away from bear bile use requires both enforcement of existing laws and investment in herbal or synthetic alternatives.

What You Can Do

Support Animals Asia and World Animal Protection campaigns to end bear bile farming
Avoid traditional medicine products that contain bear bile and choose verified synthetic or herbal alternatives
Advocate for your government to press China and Vietnam through trade and diplomatic channels on bear bile farming
Support wildlife corridor projects that reduce human-bear conflict through landscape management
Oppose trophy hunting of bear species where conservation justifications are weak or unverified