Bear Bile Farming: Welfare Crisis and Alternatives

Bear bile farming involves keeping bears in small cages for bile extraction, causing severe welfare harm that conservation and welfare organizations have campaigned to end for decades.

Key Facts

An estimated 10,000-20,000 bears are farmed for bile in China, Vietnam, and other Asian countries
Bears are typically kept in cages too small to stand or turn around throughout their lives
Bile is extracted through open abdominal wounds or catheters causing pain and infection
Bear bile contains ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) which is now synthetically available
Animals Asia Foundation and other organizations operate bear sanctuaries for rescued bile bears

Welfare Considerations

The welfare harms of bear bile farming are extreme and well-documented. Bears in bile farms experience chronic pain from extraction wounds, severe movement restriction in crush cages, psychological distress from barren environments, and social isolation. Many bears develop stereotypic behaviors from the chronic confinement and lack of behavioral expression. Rescued bears arriving at sanctuaries typically require years of rehabilitation before showing anything approaching normal behavior. The existence of synthetic UDCA makes bear bile farming scientifically unnecessary as well as ethically indefensible.

What You Can Do

Never purchase products containing bear bile or gall bladder extracts
Support Animals Asia Foundation rescue and rehabilitation programs for bile bears
Advocate for your government to ban the import of bear bile products
Share information about synthetic UDCA alternatives to reduce perceived need for bile farming
Donate to bear sanctuary operations costs that support lifetime care for rescued bears