Asian Bears

Asiatic Black Bear Welfare and Poaching for Gallbladder

Asiatic black bears are poached across their range for gallbladders and bile, which are traded in traditional medicine markets despite legal protections. Poaching pressure combined with habitat loss has caused severe population declines.

Key Facts

Asiatic black bears are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
Gallbladder and bile are traded in traditional medicine throughout China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan
An estimated 10,000+ bears are held on bile farms in China, though figures are disputed
They range from the Himalayas across Central and East Asia and into Japan
Japan has a cultural context of bear hunting that includes both welfare and conservation debates

Welfare Considerations

Bears killed by poachers for gallbladders suffer traumatic deaths from gunshot, snare, or poison. Bears held for bile suffer the chronic welfare harms described for all bile farming contexts. The Japanese bear hunting debate involves genuine complexity between cultural tradition, human-bear conflict management, and conservation concerns. The welfare of individual bears across Asia is linked to enforcement of CITES trade prohibitions that remain inconsistently applied.

What You Can Do

Support Animals Asia Moon Bear campaigns in China and Vietnam
Donate to WCS programs protecting Asiatic black bear habitat
Advocate for traditional medicine companies to certify products as bear-bile-free
Report suspected bear bile products to TRAFFIC
Support community programs that reduce human-bear conflict and retaliatory killing