Bear bile farming subjects thousands of bears to chronic suffering in small cages with crude bile extraction methods, despite the availability of effective herbal and synthetic alternatives to bile components in traditional medicine.
Bear bile farming causes some of the most prolonged and severe suffering documented in any farmed animal system. Bears spend their entire lives in cages so small they cannot stand or turn around, with open wounds from bile extraction that become chronically infected. Stereotypic behaviors affecting nearly all farmed bears indicate profound psychological distress from confinement. The welfare case against bear bile farming is unambiguous - the suffering inflicted is severe, prolonged, and entirely unnecessary given available alternatives. The persistence of the industry is driven by economic interests and traditional medicine preferences that can be challenged through consumer education and regulatory pressure.