Bear Bile Farming: Chronic Suffering in the Traditional Medicine Trade

Bear bile farming inflicts severe, prolonged suffering on thousands of Asiatic black bears across China, Vietnam, and South Korea, all for a product with documented herbal substitutes.

Key Facts

An estimated 10,000–20,000 bears are held on bile farms in China, with smaller numbers in Vietnam (where farming was banned in 1992 but enforcement is weak) and South Korea.
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), the active compound in bear bile, can be synthesised artificially and is available in pharmaceutical-grade form.
Bears on farms are confined in cages so small they cannot stand upright or turn around; some bears spend their entire lives in these conditions.
Bile extraction methods include permanent open wounds, crude catheters, or "free drip" fistulas — all associated with chronic infection, pain, and inflammation.
Bears on farms show high rates of liver disease, peritonitis, and tumours from repeated abdominal trauma and chronic infection.
The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN; farming creates additional demand that drives wild poaching.

Welfare Considerations

Bear bile farming causes some of the most prolonged and severe suffering documented in any animal industry. Bears spend 10–20 years or more in cages that cause atrophy, joint disease, and psychological breakdown. The extraction process — typically performed multiple times daily — causes acute pain, infection, and peritonitis. Bears display stereotypic behaviours, self-mutilation, and signs of learned helplessness consistent with severe chronic stress. The existence of effective synthetic and herbal alternatives means this suffering serves no necessary purpose. Welfare researchers and veterinarians who have assessed farmed bears uniformly describe conditions as among the worst they have encountered in any animal production context.

What You Can Do

Support Animals Asia Foundation, which rescues farmed bears and advocates for farm closure across Asia.
Never purchase products containing bear bile; check labels of traditional medicine products and choose synthetic UDCA alternatives.
Advocate for stronger enforcement of Vietnam's bear farming ban and for China to accelerate its phase-out commitments.
Support diplomatic engagement by your government with countries where bear farming persists.
Spread awareness that effective alternatives to bear bile exist and are widely available.