Wild Animals

Bear Bile Farming Welfare Crisis

Bear bile farming subjects thousands of bears across Asia to extreme suffering for traditional medicine markets.

Key Facts

An estimated 10,000-20,000 bears are farmed for bile in China, Vietnam, and Laos
Bears are confined in small cages, sometimes for their entire lives
Bile is extracted through invasive catheters or manual manipulation causing chronic pain
Moon bears and Asiatic black bears are the most commonly farmed species
Effective plant-based and synthetic alternatives to bear bile exist for all medical applications

Welfare Considerations

Bear bile farming causes profound, chronic suffering to intelligent, wide-ranging animals. Bears in farms experience extreme confinement, painful bile extraction procedures, and psychological distress from captivity. The practice is entirely unnecessary given available alternatives.

What You Can Do

Avoid traditional medicine products containing bear bile
Support organisations working to end bear farming in Asia
Promote awareness of effective alternatives to bear bile
Advocate for trade bans on bear bile products in your country