Bear bile farming is one of the most documented sources of sustained animal suffering in Asia. This page examines the industry's scale, the welfare science, available alternatives, and the reform progress that has been made.
Scale (2025 estimates):
• ~10,000–20,000 bears in bile farms globally
• Predominantly in China; also Vietnam, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar
• Species: Asiatic black bear (moon bear), sun bear, brown bear
• Active since the 1980s; originally developed in North Korea and China
1. What Bear Bile Is and Why It's Used
Bear bile contains high concentrations of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a bile acid with legitimate medical applications — primarily treatment of gallstones and certain liver conditions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), bear bile has been used for thousands of years to treat a range of conditions including fever, liver disease, and eye ailments.
Critically, UDCA can be synthesized cheaply and is available as a licensed pharmaceutical (brand name Ursodiol/Actigall) at a fraction of the cost of farmed bear bile. There is no medical justification for bear bile farming to continue — synthetic UDCA is clinically superior (pure and standardized) and widely available.
2. The Welfare Reality
Bear bile extraction methods and welfare impacts:
• Free-drip method (current "improved" practice): A permanent fistula — surgically created opening — is maintained in the bear's abdomen leading to the gallbladder. Bile drips continuously. Causes chronic infection, peritonitis, and organ damage.
• Catheter method (historical): Metal or plastic tubes inserted into the gallbladder. Extremely painful; causes severe infections.
• "Crush cages": Many bears historically kept in iron vests or tiny cages that immobilize them for extraction.
Bears on farms typically spend their entire lives in cages too small to stand or turn around in, show severe stereotypic behaviors (head-bobbing, bar-chewing), and suffer chronic pain, infections, liver disease, and psychological trauma.
Animals Asia Foundation, which rescues and rehabilitates bears from farms, documents that rescued bears show profound psychological damage — self-mutilation, aggression, extreme fear responses — that takes years of sanctuary care to partially address.
3. Country-by-Country Status
China
China has the world's largest bear bile industry. The Chinese government has alternately tolerated and restricted it. The number of licensed farms has declined from ~480 in 1990 to under 100 in 2025. However, during COVID-19, bear bile products were briefly promoted by Chinese health authorities as a treatment — later retracted under scientific criticism. Major TCM companies including Kaibao Pharmaceuticals rely on farmed bile. Several Chinese pharmaceutical companies have invested in synthetic alternatives, creating internal industry pressure for phase-out.
Vietnam
Vietnam banned new bear bile farms in 1992 and bear farming in 2005, but grandfathered existing farms. The bear population in captivity declined from ~4,000 in 2005 to under 400 in 2024 through Animals Asia rescues, natural attrition, and government enforcement. Vietnam is projected to reach zero farmed bears before 2030.
South Korea
South Korea maintains a small number of bear farms — approximately 300 bears as of 2024 — remnants of a once-larger industry. A government buyout-and-phase-out program has been proposed multiple times. Korean bear bile products are primarily sold domestically as luxury health products.
Laos and Myanmar
Both countries have illegal bear bile farms operating in wildlife crime networks. Enforcement is minimal. These represent the most welfare-acute situations as bears may be wild-caught.
4. The Alternatives
The case for alternatives is overwhelming:
Synthetic UDCA: Identical active compound, manufactured pharmaceutically; costs less than $5/gram; no animal required
Herbal alternatives: TCM practitioners have documented over 50 plant-based substitutes for bear bile in traditional formulations
Cow and pig bile: Also contain UDCA; used as interim alternatives in some markets
The China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine officially supports transitioning to synthetic UDCA. The barrier is not medical necessity but regulatory, commercial, and cultural momentum.
5. Organizations Driving Change
Animals Asia Foundation: Operates sanctuaries in China and Vietnam; has rescued 700+ bears; leads advocacy with Chinese government
World Animal Protection: Policy campaigns targeting Chinese and Vietnamese governments
TRAFFIC: Monitors wildlife trade including bear bile
Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV): Consumer demand reduction campaigns
Bear bile alternatives campaign: Coalition of TCM practitioners promoting synthetic UDCA
Recent Progress:
• Vietnam on track for zero farmed bears before 2030
• China's licensed farm count reduced by ~80% since 1990
• Major Chinese pharma companies investing in synthetic production
• Growing TCM practitioner coalition supporting synthetic UDCA
• Animals Asia sanctuary expansion; 700+ bears rescued lifetime
6. Path to Abolition
Welfare advocates see a viable path to ending bear bile farming globally within a decade:
China: Government-facilitated phase-out with compensation for remaining farms + mandatory shift to synthetic UDCA in licensed TCM products
South Korea: Legislative buyout of remaining ~300 bears + ban on new farms
Vietnam: Complete the ongoing phase-out through sanctuary rescues and enforcement
Consumer demand: Continued education campaigns among TCM users
International pressure: Trade agreements conditioning pharmaceutical cooperation on bear bile phase-out
Bottom Line: Bear bile farming causes severe, prolonged suffering for tens of thousands of animals with no medical justification — synthetic UDCA is cheaper, purer, and widely available. Vietnam is nearly free of the practice. China's phase-out is slow but measurable. With political will and targeted advocacy, the end of bear bile farming is achievable within this decade.