July 17, 2008

HONG KONG -- The crescent-shaped marking in the center of their chest might as well be a bull's eye for a type of black bears living in various regions of Asia.

Known affectionately as "moon bears," Asiatic black bears are coveted for their bile, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 3,000 years. Hong Kong-based Animals Asia Foundation is working to rescue these bears in China.

"It's a slaughter," said Christie Yang, AAF's China relations director. "It's killing the bears. Slowly. More than 10 years, 20 years sometimes."

The process of extracting bear bile is an excruciating one. Bears are forced into small cages where a catheter is inserted into the gall bladder so bile can be drawn. Many bears die from the unsanitary catheter, or complications from infection.

The government now also regulates the bear farms, where bile can only be collected by a legal method called "free dripping" where a permanent hole is placed into the abdomen of the bear.

"It means you can't have catheters implanted into the bear," Yang said of the practice where farmers then hope the bile drips out of the bear's body. But even this method is a painful one.

The biggest hurdle comes from bear farmers who tell government officials they only use the "free drip" method, Yang says.

"But it's not true. We have been having this investigation in many places in northeastern China and Hunan Province and we found big bear farms still use catheters," Yang said.

"The farms have outdoor play yards but you will never find the bears out to play. It's just a lot of bear farms are cheating. They're cheating the government."

But this isn't a problem isolated to just China. In Vietnam, it's estimated more than 4,000 bears are held in captivity and in South Korea the number nears 2,000.

While China has more than 7,000 bears on about 250 farms, Yang says they've been working with the Chinese government since 1993 to end bear farming.

But it wasn't until 2000 that the Chinese government signed an agreement with AAF to rescue 500 bears in the Sichuan province, where Yang said the worst bear farms exist. So far, 247 have been rescued.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, bear bile as a finished, ready-for-market product, comes in various forms, such as elixirs, pills, powders, ointment and even shampoos. Traditionally bear bile has been known for curing illnesses including heart and liver problems, sore eyes, and impotence.

While Asia is the largest bear bile market, advocacy Web site BearFileFacts.org claims bear bile products are sold in Australia, Canada and in the United States.

Ursodeoxycholic acid, or UDCA, is considered the medicinal ingredient in bear bile. Over the years, synthetics and herbs have been discovered and developed that have the same properties as UDCA.

For example, Canadian-based Axcan Pharma, Inc., manufactures URSO Forte Scored and URSO 250, medications used to treat gallstones and liver problems that contain chemically-produced UDCA.

But because farmers and Traditional Chinese Medicine purists don't believe in alternatives, the AAF's goal to end bear farming has been wrought with challenge.

As a result of decades and generations of bear farming, AAF estimates only 25,000 Asiatic black bears remain worldwide. This presents a two-fold problem, where the species of the Asiatic black bear is in jeopardy and to provide the cash crop, a wider search for bears has crossed borders, and continents.

That broadened hunt for bile has reached North America, where both Canada and the U.S. are reporting an increase of bear poachers who are selling bear parts on the black market, according to the HSUS.

Wildlife agencies estimate more than 30,000 bears are killed annually to meet the market's demand, but while enforcement officers are keenly aware of the issue, the patchwork of state laws makes enforcing bans nearly impossible.

While 34 states prohibit the trade of bear gall bladders and bile, 11 states have contradictory laws which allow "out-of-state" bear parts to be sold but prohibits the sale of parts from "in-state" bears.

Combined with the five remaining states –- Maine, Vermont, Idaho, Wyoming and New York –- that allow trafficking and sale of bear parts, poachers can launder bear parts through various states, which creates a law enforcement nightmare.

But Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and John Campbell (R-Calif.) hope their sponsored Bear Protection Act (H.R. 5534) will end the black market's loophole dance through the United States.

Both are sponsors of the bipartisan legislation which would establish a federal ban on the import, export and interstate trade in bear parts, like gallbladders and bile. Currently, the bill is before the House of Representatives this legislative session. In previous Congresses, The Bear Protection Act passed through the U.S. Senate unanimously.

For more information on Animals Asia Foundation, visit AAF.org

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