Did you know? Thousands of bears are kept in what are known as bile farms in Vietnam and China, so that their digestive juice can be harvested and sold. While bear bile does contain high levels of ursodeoxycholic acid (which aids liver and gall bladder conditions), there are ethical herbal and synthetic alternatives.
Unfortunately, the practice of keeping sun and moon bears in captivity (both which are threatened species) continues. As one might expect, the life for a bile bear is often horrendous.
At present, more than 12,000 bears are being kept on bile farms in Asia, reports One Green Planet. The extraction of bear bile from live bears causes unimaginable suffering and long-term health problems for the physically and psychologically damaged animals. Not only do the bears live in tiny cages, they suffer a hole in their gall bladder in which a permanent catheter resides to drain their bile.
As a result, many farmed bears die from starvation, dehydration, or multiple diseases. While 97% of Asians do NOT want the cruel practice of bear bile farming to continue, it is still legal in China – though there are some regulations to the industry.
Thankfully, organizations like Animal Asia won’t stop until the cruel industry meets its end. The organization have been able to take bear bile farming from a dark secret to international outrage, and has helped rescue more than 500 bears in Vietnam and China.
One of those rescues is Tuffy, the adorable bear seen playing in the video above.
Tuffy was recently saved from a bile farm in Vietnam, and was offered a swim in his new pool to celebrate. The joy he exudes for being able to play uninhibited outside is heartwarming. According to Animals Asia, the bear has a long way to go until total recovery, but getting out of from behind bars is an excellent start.
How can you get involved? Share this news with everyone you know to raise awareness about this barbaric industry. Together, we can put an end to the cruelty.
This article ([Watch] This Bear’s Reaction To Being Rescued Is The Best Thing You’ll See All Day) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com
