Bear Farming

Bear farming has become of the most terrifying practice in Asian countries to extract bear bile and body parts. The methods incorporated for bile extraction are horrific and inhumane, but the bear farming industry continues to use these methods, as the demand of bear bile and other body parts has never subsided.

The bear farming industry, though, has a long-standing need in the traditional medicines from the ancient times, but around 1980, the bear farming industry was set up to farm bears more intensively. The number of bears kept captivated for bear farming across China was more than 7,000, and there were some others in neighbouring countries of Asia continent. Though the intention of bear farming was good, and it was set-up to reduce the number of bears poached from the wild, but scientists and wild-life researchers feel that bear farming industry is causing danger to the bears overall, in the region of Asian continent.

Welfare issues of bears in bear farming

It goes without saying that all the animals suffer physical and mental agony when they are removed from their natural habitat. However, some animals do need the protection of specialized areas to keep the species alive, as some of them are utterly on the brink of extinction.

Bear farming industry, though had a good intention, but it has turned out to be a market for bear bile and other body parts of the bears. Bears are often kept in cages that provide insufficient space for their movement, and there is hardly anything that the bears can enjoy or even relax. More often than not, they become the inhuman showpieces for the spectators who come to see them for their own enjoyment and fun.

The main purpose of bear farming that is negative to the bears is the bile extraction process, which is most often carried out in most inhuman method and by untrained technicians. It goes without saying that bears suffer a lot of pain due to this procedure. The pain and suffering is often prolonged in its effect due to the insufficient and inadequate habitat of the bears.

Curling up after the extraction, shivering, and holding their paws to their stomach, are the commonest of signs of bear suffering that they show after the bile extraction process!

It has also been seen that sometimes, the bears twitch, gnash their teeth, bite the bars, and utter distress calls during the bile extraction process, which can pretty amply tell us the pain that they have to undergo. Inadequate and inhuman habitat coupled with the torture of this kind has really made the life of bears a real tragedy to pity upon and work for their welfare!

Many organizations have recognized the bear farming industry more as a trade industry rather than the poaching-saving one, which was its primary intention. Many steps and projects to reduce the suffering of bears in bear farming have been formulated and acted upon by these organizations.

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Since 1981, The World Society for the Protection of Animals has fought to realise a dream where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty ends. Having successfully eradicated the practice of Bear Dancing in Greece and Turkey, we are now hoping to bring an end to the inhumane industry of Bear Bile Farming. None of this would be possible without the generosity of our supporters.