Bear Witness for Bears:
Support the Bear Protection Act!

Bear bile has been used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries, believed by many to reduce swelling, such as hemorrhoids, and treat eye and liver conditions. In addition, it is also included in many herbal shampoos and conditioners. Proponents of bear bile bear gall insist it is an essential ingredient that cannot be replaced; however, there are many herbs with the same properties as bear bile, and a synthetic version is widely available.

A wide range of bears, from black bears to brown bears to pandas, are either raised in captivity or hunted in the wild, specifically for their bile. To procure bear bile, farmers may surgically implant a tube into the animal's gall bladder, using this method to 'milk' the animal twice a day. Alternately, some farmers simply stick a metal rod through the bear's abdomen, catching the bile that runs out into a bucket. The majority of these procedures are not done by veterinarians, and the bears are visibly in pain as they cry out and chew their paws. Many die of infections or other complications. At ten years of age, bears may be killed and their gall bladders extracted for additional sales.

Bear farming is currently legal in China and the Republic of Korea, where there are a reportedly 8,400 captive bears. However, international trade originating from bear farms is illegal through CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement between governments aimed at monitoring the trade of endangered plants and animals). Yet, these cruel products are still being sold in the U.S.

What You Can Do:
Please contact your U.S. Representative and ask him/her to co-sponsor the Bear Protection Act (H.R. 3029). Let him/her know that this Act would help end the cruel and unnecessary trade in bear parts. To find the names and contact information of your Representative, please visit www.house.gov and use the search function in the upper left corner.

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