All around the world, bears are suffering for the bear bile trade, a cruel industry that has existed for thousands of years because gallbladder bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat liver conditions, inflammation, and other ailments. Despite condemnation from Chinese physicians and the availability of synthetic, cruelty-free alternatives, the bear bile trade continues to thrive.
In parts of Asia, including China, Vietnam, and South Korea, bears, most commonly Asiatic black bears (moon bears) and sun bears, are kept in factory farms, trapped in cages so small they can’t even turn around. Some spend decades in these conditions, their bodies twisted and deformed from confinement. Many have shattered or missing teeth from biting at the bars in desperation.
More than 12,000 bears are estimated to be held in these farms today, where they are repeatedly "milked" for their bile. The process is agonizing: a metal or latex catheter is surgically implanted into the bear’s gallbladder, or a crude hole is cut directly into their abdomen, allowing bile to be drained out. Bears have been documented moaning in agony and chewing on their own paws from the extreme pain of the procedure, which is performed without any form of anesthesia or pain medication. Many bears trapped on these vile farms suffer from infections, tumors, and severe pain for years before they die.
While countries like Vietnam and South Korea have taken steps to ban or phase out bear bile farming, the global demand remains high, and the U.S. is complicit in the cruelty. American hunters are killing wild bears and selling their gallbladders on the international market.
Wild bear bile is considered more potent than bile from farmed bears, making poached bears even more valuable. As wild bear populations in Asia decline, poachers in the U.S. have stepped in to fill the demand. Across the country, bears, including cubs, are being slaughtered so their gallbladders can be sold in traditional medicine shops or exported overseas. A single bear gallbladder can sell for over $1,000.
Laws addressing the bear bile trade in the U.S. are, unfortunately, weak and inconsistent. Forty states have some form of regulation, but penalties vary wildly. A trafficker in Colorado could face three years in prison and a $100,000 fine, while someone in Kentucky may only receive a $100 fine. This patchwork of laws makes enforcement difficult and leaves gaps for traffickers to exploit.
Before the U.S. condemns the bear bile trade abroad, it must first take real action at home. By passing the Bear Protection Act to formally end its own involvement in this brutal industry, the U.S. can set a powerful example for the world and help push other nations to take similar steps to protect bears from this cruelty.
The Bear Protection Act would ban the import, export, and interstate trade of bear gallbladders, effectively shutting down the U.S.’s involvement in this horrific industry. The bill was last introduced in the 118th Congress by Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R-TX-10), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), and Rep. Ann M. Kuster (D-NH-2), but it needs our help to be reintroduced this congressional session and finally passed into law.
Take Action Now
Join Species Unite in urging Congress to reintroduce and finally pass the Bear Protection Act. It’s time to put an end to the U.S.’s role in this brutal trade once and for all.
