22 Asiatic black bears had spent their entire lives locked in small metal cages at a South Korean breeding farm. In this horrific place, not only were they prisoners, but their gallbladders and bile were harvested and marketed as cures for sore throats, cancer, and more recently, as a coronavirus treatment. “They lived in the […]
Tag: gallbladder
Coronavirus outrage: How traders peddle ‘tiger bone, bear bile and rhino horn’ as cure
The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 2.4 million people worldwide since the first cases were announced in early December. Medical experts across the globe are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine that can halt COVID-19 in its tracks. But in China and other southeast Asian countries there have been reports of countless crooks trying to capitalise on the deadly […]
Chinese government reportedly recommending bear bile injections to treat coronavirus
The government of China is reportedly recommending a coronavirus treatment that includes bear bile. The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) reported today that a list of recommended treatments for the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 published by the Chinese government earlier this month includes injections of a traditional medicine called “Tan Re Qing,” which contains bear […]
POLL: Should bear-bile farming be banned?
The bear bile industry targets mostly sun bears and Asiatic black bears, also known as moon bears, which both get their names from the tuft of white hair on their chests. The bears’ gallbladders contain a yellow liquid—bile—that helps them digest fat. People have used this bile in Asian medicine for more than a thousand […]
Asian bear farming: breaking the cycle of exploitation (warning: graphic images)
In the forests of Asia, bears are being captured. These captives will be sent to bear farms, most unregulated and illegal, where they will be kept alive in a small cage, locked away for life. Their bodies will be used as renewable natural resources, from which profit will be made through the extraction of internal […]