Protect Bears.
Help end bear farming in Asia.

Bears suffer when they are removed from their natural environment and kept in captivity. At least 12,000 bears are kept on bear farms in China, Korea and Vietnam, where they are held in cages about the size of a telephone booth placed on its side in order to extract their bile.

WSPA is working to end this suffering by ending bear farming in Asia. In February 2005, WSPA secured an historic agreement with the Vietnamese authorities in which the government stated its commitment to end bear farming in Vietnam. WSPA has agreed to help them with their ongoing public awareness campaign and national micro-chipping program. WSPA has funded a Vietnamese Wildlife Crime Hotline which is being run by our member society Education for Nature (ENV). Radio, television and print advertising for the WSPA-funded hotline are clear: the bear bile trade is based on extreme cruelty and buying or selling products made from bears is illegal. This is getting real results for bears - tapping into public determination to stop the bear bile trade, tip offs have led to bears being removed from bear farms. 

Watch advertisements for the hotline (WARNING: these clips contain graphic images and sounds of bears in distress)
Ad 1 >>
Ad 2 >>

In addition to the Vietnamese ads, actor Jackie Chan has teamed up with WSPA to produce 30-second television public service announcements (PSAs) in Mandarin and Cantonese to spread awareness of this issue. Click the links below to watch the Jackie Chan PSAs (WARNING: these clips contain graphic images and sounds of bears in distress).

PSA in Cantonese >> 
PSA in Mandarin >>


A Threat to Wild Bears

While bear farming was originally forecast to reduce the number of bears poached from the wild, it is feared that bear farming is having a negative impact on wild bears in China and around the world, as the bear farming industry stimulates demand for bile. No evidence exists that bear farms reduce hunting and poaching of wild bears or that they ever will – bile from wild bears is perceived to be more potent and is sold for a higher price.

Herbal Alternatives

Bear bile has been used in traditional Asian medicine for over 3,000 years to treat ailments ranging from fevers to heart disease. Today, it is on its way out of use, with increasing support among the traditional Asian medicine communities for alternatives to bear bile. Herbal and synthetic alternatives to bear bile are already broadly available and widely used throughout the world. As part of our ongoing collaboration and outreach, WSPA worked with traditional Asian medicine practitioners to identify alternatives and publish a guide to herbal alternatives.

Illegal Trade

Since the advent of bear farming, the production of bear bile has increased ten fold, with much of the surplus finding its way onto the global market. Due to dwindling populations of many species of bears, international commerce in bear bile is prohibited by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Although China, Korea and Vietnam have all signed on to the treaty, WSPA investigations reveal that the illegal trade continues.

In the U.S. the Lacey Act and a patchwork of state laws are used to control the bear bile trade. However, WSPA believes that further legislation would be of aid to law enforcement agencies and ultimately provide for less of an outlet for farmed bear bile.

Read about WSPA's recent investigation into the illegal bear bile trade in the U.S. and abroad >>

NEW!  Read about WSPA's supplemental report on the domestic trade in bear parts and products >>

Support WSPA's work for bears and other animals all over the world >>