New Sanctuary Opens In Laos For Bears Rescued From the Horrific Bile Trade
The sanctuary has reopened and expanded 25 times larger than its previous space, with the Laos government set to close all bile farms by 2022.
Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
The practice of bear bile extraction is horrific, and causes “severe suffering” to over 20,000 bears around the world. Typically, these bears are kept in small cages on bile farms, where they are forced to regularly have their bile - found in the gallbladder - extracted. Most farmed bears are kept permanently in cages, sometimes so small that they are unable to turn around or stand on all fours.
Thankfully, there are several organizations working tirelessly to not only rescue bears from bile farms and send them to sanctuaries, but who also work with governments to help outlaw the cruel trade entirely.
One of those lifesaving organizations is Free The Bears, who have spent over 25 years on their mission to tackle the bear bile trade, and have recently opened their latest mega reserve for rescued bears in Laos.
The organization has worked in collaboration with the Laos Department of Forestry, to create a mountain top “mega reserve” in a wooded valley in Luang Prabang.
Rescued Asiatic moon bears playing at Free the Bears sanctuary in Laos. Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
The timing is crucial, as the Laos government is set to close down all bile farms in the country by 2022, with the hope that all the remaining bears can be transferred to the new sanctuary.
The sanctuary has reopened in a huge space that’s 25 times bigger than before, with the bears able to make use of several acres, including a lake where they can swim and fish.
Already, the sanctuary has witnessed its first birth. Bear cub Pi Mai was born in the care of Free The Bears, and is nursed by his mother. He lives alongside four rescued cubs at the sanctuary.
The current coronavirus pandemic has brought with it a worry for organizations campaigning against the bear bile trade however. Wildlife campaigners are concerned that China’s National Health Commission (CNHC) have recommended a coronavirus treatment that contains bear bile powder. This recommendation could increase demand, and make it more difficult to shut down these farms for good.
“They use bear bile acid to treat gallstones and other liver diseases, but people need to understand there are more than 50 herbal and synthetic alternatives that will do the same job,” says Free the Bears Technical Advisor Nikki Brow.
In spite of the challenges and the horrors of the trade, Free The Bears’ new sanctuary, along with the birth of Pi Mai, offer a shining ray of hope for the bears and their future.
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