Cindy-Lou Dale
Photojournalist
China's Asiatic Black Bear
As
British Olympic cycling champion, Fiona Oakes, said, “In 2008, athletes will gather in
In July 2000, the Animals Asia Foundation signed a landmark agreement with the Chinese authorities to rescue 500 suffering Asiatic Black Bears (also known as Moon Bears) in the
Two years later, in December 2002, the Chinese Government joined the Foundation in opening the largest Moon Bear Sanctuary in the world. Prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony, the parties hosted a press briefing of national and international media, where officials emphasized that it was the intention of the Chinese Central Government to end the cruel practice of bear farming country-wide.
Bear farming involves crudely extracting bear bile from the gall bladders of live bears, housed in ‘crush’ cages.
Extraction takes place either through a steel or latex catheter being implanted into the abdomen or a permanent hole being created in the belly, allowing the bile to drip freely into bowls placed below their cages.
The bile is collected twice a day, prior to meal times, as this is when the density and viscosity of the bile is at its highest.
When ‘milking’ the bears, a metal instrument is poked into the hole, breaking the membrane, allowing the bile to flow out. In the unhygienic environment, the hole often becomes infected, causing risk of disease or death. In addition, the hole in the gall bladder often leaks bile into the abdomen, leading to an agonizing demise.
Investigators reported witnessing signs of severe distress all the bears. It was commonplace to see the bears banging their heads against the cages, some bears were seen to chew at their own paws.
Chinese medical practitioners stress that all bear bile products can easily be replaced by herbal or synthetic alternatives, which are cheaper, more readily available and equally effective.
"I have been a practitioner of Chinese medicine for over 40 years and have never used bear bile," said Professor Liu Zhen Cai, a Chinese Traditional Medicine Practitioner. "Today we have over 50 herbal alternatives and synthetic medicines which have the same efficacy as bear bile - and there is no need for bears to suffer any longer."
“We humans have only one planet, however the planet does not belong to us, it belongs to the animals as well. We should treat animals better”, said Mr. Chen Run Shen, Secretary General of the
“There are government officials on side, but still the cruelty continues, and the farmers are deceiving everyone.” – Jill Robinson, CEO Animals Asia Foundation.
To date, more than 40 bear farms have been closed by the Chinese Government, releasing 194 bears into the care of the Animals Asia Foundation at their Moon Bear Rescue Centre in the
The Foundation’s ongoing challenge is demonstrating to the Central Government of China that cruelty of this magnitude is unacceptable to modern society and that the western world is appalled that Moon bear farming and breeding still exists.
“The Beijing Olympic Games will be an historic event. As the eyes of the world will be looking to
“The endorsement of Olympic athletes from around the world will encourage the Chinese authorities that their action of closing the farms and rescuing the bears is receiving international support. We hope that it will also encourage the Central Government to escalate the end of this unconscionable industry once and for all,” Robinson said in closing.
With still 7,000 bears needing to be rescued, there is little time.
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©Cindy-Lou Dale 2005
Words: 755
