22 Bears Rescued from a Bear Bile Farm and Rehomed in Colorado Sanctuary
After being held captive on a farm in South Korea, where they repeatedly had bile extracted from their gallbladders, the moon bears are finally free to begin a new life.
Twenty-two moon bears have been rescued from a bear bile farm in South Korea and flown halfway across the world to a sanctuary in Colorado.
The moon bears, more formally known as Asiatic Black Bears, had all been held at a breeding farm that used the animals in gallbladder and bile extraction processes.
The practice of bear bile extraction is controversial because of the “severe suffering” that it causes to the bears. Typically, bears are kept in small cages on bile farms, where they are forced to regularly have their bile - found in the gallbladder - extracted.
Although all captive moon bears in South Korea were sterilized in 2017 to prevent breeding, farmers are still permitted to kill and harvest gallbladers from the 300-plus moon bears remaining if they are aged 10 and above.
The rescue effort is a collaboration between the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA), an NGO based in Seoul, South Korea, and The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS), a non-profit organization based in Colorado.
Efforts to free the bears had first been mooted in 2020, when KAWA officials contacted TWAS's executive director, Pat Craig, to request assistance. However, nearly two years passed, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all viable transportation options.
However, in early 2022, enough air cargo flights became available to fly the bears out of South Korea to Los Angeles International Airport where they were cleared by U.S. wildlife officials.
After a brief stay in temporary holding facilities where they were checked over by vets, the bears were finally transported to the 10,000-acre Baca County facility, where they touched grass for the first time.
Having spent their entire lives laying, sitting and walking on steel bars, the bears had to learn how to balance and walk on the earthy ground, according to the sanctuary.
“Americans have gained the respect of the world and Koreans not because of big ships or guns, but because of the humanity of its people which was demonstrated again and again by The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Denver, Colorado,” said General In-Bum Chun, a decorated South Korean veteran, who was onsite with other KAWA officials when the bears were released.
TWAS is the largest carnivore sanctuary in the world and operates multiple facilities in Colorado and Texas, with the Wild Animal Refuge being the largest facility with natural forested habitat for bears.
What is the bear bile trade?
All around the world, bears are being targeted for their bile, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Despite Chinese physicians condemning the trade and synthetic, cruelty-free versions being available, the trade is still rife.
On factory farms, bears - or “bile bears” as they’re commonly called - are often kept in cages so small they cannot even turn around. Bears can survive up to 35-years in captivity, meaning they can spend decades trapped in these conditions. Their bodies may contort to fit inside the cage, and many of these animals have few teeth left from chewing desperately on the bars.
Today, it’s estimated that more than 12,000 bears are confined on these factory farms and painfully "milked" for their bile. Bear bile is obtained through surgically implanting a tube in the animal and draining the liquid out. The Humane Society of the United States reports that the bears moan and often chew their paws during the procedure because it is so painful for them.
Solutions for change
There are over 50 herbal alternatives and many inexpensive synthetic alternatives to bear bile, according to non-profit Animals Asia who have rescued nearly 700 bears from the bile farm industry, and countries including Vietnam are implementing legislation to help decrease the demand for bear bile.
Meanwhile, advocates are also fighting against the trade in the United States. Bile from wild bears is considered more potent than bile from farmed bears, leading poachers to target bears and their cubs across America to meet the global demand for bear gallbladders.
Currently, 40 states have laws on the books to address the trade, but these laws are fragmented and tend to vary state by state. For example, a trafficker in Colorado may face up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine, while a trafficker in Kentucky may receive only a $100 fine.
To strengthen protection for wild bears across the U.S. and to address the inconsistencies in state laws, advocates claim that a federal law is needed to prohibit the importation, exportation, and interstate trade of bear gallbladders.
The Bear Protection Act was first introduced into Congress by U.S. Representatives Ted Lieu, Rodney Davis, Glenn Thompson, and Ann Kuster. Now, Species Unite is encouraging its community to take action by signing their petition aimed at ramping up support for the bill.
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