Bear bile farming in China, Vietnam, and South Korea involves confining bears in small cages with surgically implanted tubes to extract bile continuously, causing severe and chronic welfare suffering.
Bear bile farming represents one of the most severe documented cases of institutionalized animal suffering. Animals in crush cages cannot perform the most basic movement behaviors; the perpetual confinement causes profound psychological distress manifesting in stereotypic head-swaying and self-mutilation. The surgical wounds required for bile extraction become chronically infected. Bears show behavioral indicators of extreme chronic stress across their entire captive lives. The existence of cheaper synthetic UDCA removes the only utilitarian justification for the practice - what remains is an industry sustained by tradition, market inertia, and regulatory failure. Consumer campaigns and regulatory pressure have achieved significant progress.