The government of Laos has for the first time shut down a farm where live bears were harvested for their bile, after convincing the farm’s owner to voluntarily hand over three bears. The rescued Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus), two males and one female, are now being quarantined at the Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary, operated […]
Bile bears, sometimes called battery bears, are bears kept in captivity to harvest their bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, which is used by some traditional Asian medicine practitioners.[2][3][4] It is estimated that 12,000 bears are farmed for bile[5] in China, South Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar.[6][7][8][9][10] Demand for the bile has been found in those nations as well as in some others, such as Malaysia[11] and Japan.
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::: [CW: Animal Cruelty]
Bile bears, sometimes called battery bears, are bears kept in captivity to harvest their bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, which is used by some traditional Asian medicine practitioners.[2][3][4] It is estimated that 12,000 bears are farmed for bile[5] in China, South Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar.[6][7][8][9][10] Demand for the bile has been found in those nations as well as in some others, such as Malaysia[11] and Japan.
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