End Bear Bile Farming
Donation protected
I will be volunteering at the Grand Rapids Pet Expo in April hoping to make people more aware of bear farming for bear bile.
It is an extremely cruel procedure of getting bile from endangered moon bears through their gallbladder. This takes place in mostly China and Vietnam. The bile is used for mainly medicine, but for household products too.
All moon bears for bile are kept in cages. The cages are the size of coffins and they are not able to stand up, turn around, or even sit up in them. Some are kept in "crush cages" which means the sides of the cage can restrain the bears, basically crushing them. Bears have grown up in these cages to a point where their bodies have contorted to fit the bars. They live like this for up to 30 years, without ever being able to get out. When they can no longer give bile they are slaughtered.
Several methods are used to obtain the bile that are all painful and cause unimaginable pain and suffering. Some methods are catheterization that involves using a steel or perspex catheter and pushing it through the bears abdomen and into the gallbladder several times a day. Another is a free drip method that involves making a permanent hole into the bears abdomen and gallbladder where the bile drips freely out. The wound can easily cause infection and the bile can leak back into their abdomen causing high death rates. Undercover investigators showed the bears screaming in pain, trying to chew their way out of their cages, and banging their heads against the bars.
Bears have their digits or their paws amputated for easier handling and for extra income (bear paw is a delicacy in China.) They may also have their hind teeth removed for easier handling.
There are alternatives to bear bile and 87% of the Chinese people voted against it. There is no reason it should be going on at all.
When I volunteer I will be hoping that people make a donation to help these bears. The donations will go to Animals Asia, a wonderful organization that helps to put an end to bear bile farming forever. If you are able to make a donation to help these bears, please do. You would be helping to put an end to this unnecessary abuse.
It is an extremely cruel procedure of getting bile from endangered moon bears through their gallbladder. This takes place in mostly China and Vietnam. The bile is used for mainly medicine, but for household products too.
All moon bears for bile are kept in cages. The cages are the size of coffins and they are not able to stand up, turn around, or even sit up in them. Some are kept in "crush cages" which means the sides of the cage can restrain the bears, basically crushing them. Bears have grown up in these cages to a point where their bodies have contorted to fit the bars. They live like this for up to 30 years, without ever being able to get out. When they can no longer give bile they are slaughtered.
Several methods are used to obtain the bile that are all painful and cause unimaginable pain and suffering. Some methods are catheterization that involves using a steel or perspex catheter and pushing it through the bears abdomen and into the gallbladder several times a day. Another is a free drip method that involves making a permanent hole into the bears abdomen and gallbladder where the bile drips freely out. The wound can easily cause infection and the bile can leak back into their abdomen causing high death rates. Undercover investigators showed the bears screaming in pain, trying to chew their way out of their cages, and banging their heads against the bars.
Bears have their digits or their paws amputated for easier handling and for extra income (bear paw is a delicacy in China.) They may also have their hind teeth removed for easier handling.
There are alternatives to bear bile and 87% of the Chinese people voted against it. There is no reason it should be going on at all.
When I volunteer I will be hoping that people make a donation to help these bears. The donations will go to Animals Asia, a wonderful organization that helps to put an end to bear bile farming forever. If you are able to make a donation to help these bears, please do. You would be helping to put an end to this unnecessary abuse.
Organizer
Christi Bourgeau
Organizer
Grand Rapids, MI