The Reality of Bear Bile Trade

Bear bile has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine.  The active ingredient found in bear bile, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), can be used to treat ailments such as fever, gall stones, heart disease, and liver problems.  UDCA is less expensive to produce synthetically than to extract from the gall bladders of bears.  However, thousands of Asiatic black bears still suffer on bear bile farms and are poached in the wild in China, South Korea, and Vietnam. 

A technique, called “milking,” is used to extract bile from the bears’ gallbladders. A catheter is surgically implanted into the bear’s abdomen and bile is drained once or twice a day.  Milking begins at the age of three and continues for up to twenty years.  The bears are kept in cages so small that they cannot turn around and frequently suffer from muscle atrophy and malnourishment.  Milking is extremely painful and the bears show signs of extreme psychological trauma, some are even reported to attempt suicide. 

Bear farming was encouraged by the government of China starting in the 1980s as an attempt to mitigate threats to wild Asiatic black bears from hunting for their gallbladders.  Farming has actually had the opposite effect by fueling the demand for bear bile as a result of lower prices.  The demand in China, for example, has risen from about 500 kilos to 4,000 kilos annually.  Wild bears are still frequently hunted throughout Asia for their bile and are used to stock existing farms. 

Asiatic black bears are threatened with extinction and listed under Appendix I of The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  International trade in Asiatic black bear parts is prohibited except in exceptional circumstances.  Although China, South Korea, Vietnam, and the United States have all signed CITES, failures to implement controls necessary to enforce the agreement are rampant.  Bear bile and gallbladders are frequently smuggled across borders hidden in coffee or chocolate.  Customs searches are often inadequate to locate hidden goods. 

Nationally, Asiatic black bears are protected as an endangered species in China under China’s Wildlife Protection Law.  A limited number of permits are issued only to kill nuisance bears.  Few violators are ever caught or prosecuted under this law, however.  China has agreed to stop issuing permits for new bear bile farms and Vietnam has agreed to phase out farms, as well.  Bear bile farming is currently illegal in South Korea, although a large number of farms are still operating. 

Under the Pelly Amendment, the United States may impose sanctions against countries that violate international agreements such as CITES.  However, sanctions are rare due to a fear of violating the World Trade Organization.  The Lacey Act also regulates the trade in bear parts in the United States.  Providing a legal remedy for CITES violations, the Lacey Act makes it a federal offense to buy, sell, or transport in interstate commerce any wildlife parts that were taken in violation of a state, federal, or foreign law.  Since it is very difficult to prove the origin of illegal bear parts, such as bile, prosecutions under the Lacey Act are rarely successful. 

Public awareness about bear bile is increasing.  Many organizations, including Animals Asia, are actively working to end the trade of bear bile, reducing hunting, and end the cruel confinement of Asiatic bears.  The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) voted for a motion to end bear bile farming at their World Congress in September 2012.  With proper enforcement of existing international framework, as well as increased public awareness, threats to endangered Asiatic bears can be minimized. 

Written for SIEL by:
Claire Czajkowski , 2L