Sun bears and Asiatic black bears are kept in bile farms across parts of Asia, subjected to continuous painful bile extraction through implanted catheters in conditions that represent some of the worst documented captive animal welfare situations.
Bear bile farming causes some of the most severe and sustained animal suffering documented in any farming context. Bears spend their entire lives in cages that prevent natural movement, experiencing chronic physical pain from bile extraction procedures, musculoskeletal deterioration from immobility, psychological distress from isolation and boredom, and dental damage from stereotypic bar-biting. Rescued bears show severe behavioural abnormalities including repetitive swaying, self-mutilation, and extreme fear responses. Rehabilitation takes years and some individuals never fully recover. The continuation of bile farming despite available synthetic alternatives represents an ethical failure that persists largely due to cultural preferences and inadequate enforcement of existing protections.