Save the Bears
You Can Help Us Save the Bears
Why do the bears need our help?
Over 12,000 bears are currently held captive in Asian bear “farms”, where bile is removed from their gall bladders for use in Asian medicines for which alternatives are readily available.
Most bears are held indoors, within cages in which they are unable to stand and can barely turn around.
Can you imagine living your life in such horrifically confined conditions?
Bear bile is accessed in a number of inhumane ways, usually by farm workers with no veterinary experience. For example:
- A tube leading into the gall bladder is created, allowing bile to be extracted. To stop the tube closing, the abdominal wound is reopened up to three times a day.
- Ultrasound equipment is used to locate the gall bladder, before a syringe is inserted deep into the bear’s body to extract the bile.
- The confined bears commonly suffer infections to open wounds, tumours, internal abscesses, gallstones and other related illnesses. It is a life of unremitting pain and distress.
WSPA is working to end bear farming by:
- Working in partnership with Asian governments through research, education and diplomacy.
- Calling for an end to the illegal trade in bear products. The WSPA bear proteins detection kit allows customs officials to stop illegal imports of bear bile and body parts.
- Working with practitioners and consumers of traditional Asian medicine to promote alternatives to bear bile.
WSPA’s approach is working. For example, in 2005 the Vietnamese government committed to phase out bear farms after reaching a Memorandum of Understanding with WSPA.
New regulations, alongside WSPA’s programme to microchip bears, help to prevent new bears suffering this cruel practice.
But there is so much more to do.
How Can You Help the Bears?
- Through online fashion shopping with Neo Tokyo. When you buy WSPA merchandise, we pay the total purchase price to WSPA, less the cost of manufacture. For all other products, at least 20% of the purchase price goes to WSPA.
- By donating to WSPA.