KATHLEEN CORBIN

I have not been able to stop thinking about bear bile farming. There are all types of animal abuse. All of it is abhorrent but I have been thinking about the bears a lot lately. So, I decided to do a little research to educate myself on this disgusting practice even though it is very difficult to read about abuse…. whether it be human or animal.

Bear bile farming is practiced mainly in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam as this is where demand is greatest but bear bile products are also exported to other countries including Canada and the U.S.

Bear bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. For centuries, traditional Chinese medicine has held the belief that bear bile has medicinal properties although there is no evidence to support this theory. In the past, bear bile was obtained by killing bears. However, this method led to a significant decrease in bear populations. So to meet the consumer’s continued demand for bear bile, farms were established where the bears would be held in captivity and subjected to regular bile extraction.

To extract the bile a draining tube is inserted into a surgically created permanent opening in the abdomen of the bear’s gallbladder. Whenever the bile is extracted, a metal tube is forced into the unhealed tissue. It is an agonizing procedure. Sometimes permanent catheters are left in place, in which case, the bears are restrained from movement to keep the catheters stable. This is done by fitting the bear with a metal jacket using sharp spikes.

The bears are kept in filthy cages too small to even move. They endure physical and psychological suffering. They live in these horrific conditions for their entire life which means years of torture. They suffer unthinkable trauma.

We need to do something!

The entire world needs to mobilize and demand an end to animal abuse around the world. There must be an international animal bill of rights where severe consequences are implemented for those who fail to abide by the laws. We must make the abusers pay a heavy price for torturing, killing, and maiming our precious wildlife. This applies to so many horrible practices around the world from shark finning to bullfighting and everything in between. It also applies to the horrific abuse of farm animals as we promote the practices of factory farming around the world.

I want to continue to blog more about our broken relationship with animals. It is a very difficult subject for me but a cause very dear to my heart. I know that so many others feel the same way.