Captive Animals

Bear Bile Farming and Welfare

Bear bile farming subjects thousands of bears to lifelong confinement and painful bile extraction. Consumer awareness and legal reform are driving the industry toward closure.

Key Facts

An estimated 10,000-20,000 bears are kept on bile farms primarily in China, Vietnam, and South Korea
Bears are often confined in cages so small they cannot stand or turn
Bile extraction involves catheters or surgical fistulas causing ongoing pain and infection
Bear bile contains ursodeoxycholic acid which has medical uses now produced synthetically
Many countries have banned bear bile farming but enforcement is inconsistent

Welfare Considerations

Bears on bile farms experience severe chronic suffering from confinement, repeated bile extraction procedures, infected wounds, dental damage from cage bar biting, and psychological distress. The conditions cause abnormal behaviors indicative of deep psychological suffering. Synthetic and plant-based alternatives to bear bile are widely available and equally effective, making the continued farming of bears for bile medically unjustifiable.

What You Can Do

Avoid all products containing bear bile — synthetic alternatives are available
Support organizations campaigning for bear bile farm closure
Advocate for your government to ban bear bile products from import and sale
Donate to bears rescued from bile farms and now living in sanctuaries
Educate others about the availability of effective alternatives to bear bile