Sun bears are the world's smallest bear species and among the most threatened, facing habitat loss and the bear bile farming industry that keeps thousands in small cages.
Bears in bile farming operations experience chronic pain from catheterization wounds, muscle atrophy from small cage confinement, stereotypic behaviors indicating severe psychological distress, and nutritional problems from inadequate diets. The suffering is prolonged over years of captivity. Rescuing individual bears requires months of rehabilitation to recover from physical injuries and behavioral abnormalities. The bear bile industry persists despite the availability of synthetic and herbal alternatives with equivalent claimed medicinal properties. Individual welfare of bile bears represents an ongoing, preventable welfare crisis requiring both demand reduction and regulatory action.