Officially established in 1998, Animals Asia campaigns for improved conditions and rights for various species across Asia. It operates award-winning sanctuaries in Vietnam and China (and is the only organization with a bear sanctuary in the latter).

These sanctuaries are home to hundreds of bears who were rescued from the bile trade.

What is bile farming?

In order to extract bile from their gallbladders, bears are subject to invasive, painful procedures. The bile, thought to have healing properties, is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It also appears in some household products like shampoo and toothpaste.

Demand for bile products comes predominantly from Asia, but such items are also found in Australia, Canada, and the US.

According to Animals Asia, the “cruel” trade is a source of “extreme suffering” for thousands of bears across the world’s largest and most populous continent.

One of the most “humane” bile extraction methods involves creating a permanent open passage in the animals’ gallbladder via their abdomen. The surgery – rarely performed by a veterinarian – often results in infections, many of which become fatal.

The way the animals are housed is similarly disturbing, the charity says. Bears are permanently kept in metal cages; many are so small that bears are left unable to turn around or stand on all fours.

Some bears are caged as cubs, and held captive for up to 30 years.

Rescuing bears from bile farms

Animals Asia has rescued 640 bears from the trade to date. With its bear rescue center in Tam Dao, Vietnam, approaching capacity, the nonprofit has announced a new sanctuary that will take in all of the remaining farmed bears in Vietnam.

The 12-hectare sanctuary, situated in the mountainous surroundings of the Bach Ma National Park, will be unveiled tomorrow (May 27). And when all farmed bears in Vietnam are freed and released into the sanctuary, the country’s bear bile trade will officially be history.

“This is a proud moment for humanity, Animals Asia, Vietnam, and our supporters around the
world”, commented Animals Asia founder and CEO Jill Robinson. “Together, in collaboration with the Vietnam government, we bring about this milestone in protecting wildlife across the country.”

In 2017, Animals Asia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnamese government, committing to the closure of all bear farms in Vietnam.

The MOU outlined an agreement between the two parties, which would see them working together to free the then-1,000 animals who were still in the industry.

Speaking on the new sanctuary, Robinson added: “Today we show that courage, empathy, tenacity, and determination have brought about significant change, as we step up and demonstrate the way forward in helping to save the world’s vulnerable species.”

Celebrity support

A wealth of high-profile names have thrown their support behind Animals Asia and its efforts, including Dame Judi Dench, Alan Cumming, Stephen Fry, James Cromwell, Slash, Kesha, and Peter Egan.

Actors Tara Buck (True Blood), Torrey DeVitto (The Vampire Diaries, Chicago Med), and Marina Squerciati (Chicago P.D) are all in Vietnam to celebrate the unveiling of the sanctuary. They’re joined by television personality Josh Packham (Love Island), photographer Katarina
Benzova, and actor Tang Thanh Ha (Mỹ Nhân Kế).

In a video seen by Plant Based News, Ricky Gervais (who just donated £142,414.47 to Animals Asia), asked the public to “stand by them in this mission” and “raise their paw for the moon bear.”

Dr. Jane Goodall offered her “warm congratulations” to the nonprofit. “Animals Asia is ending bear bile farming in Vietnam,” she said. “To protect these beautiful moon bears, please help Animals Asia build this last bear sanctuary and make sure that in Vietnam, there will be no bear left behind.”

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Winter stars in a new PETA campaign, which urges the public to “Show a Bear How Much You Care.” It features the reality star, 26, posing naked in front of a Union Jack while holding a large teddy bear. 

The photo was shot by fashion photographer Ruth Rose and features wording urging the Ministry of Defence to replace bearskin with animal-friendly faux fur. 

“It takes the skin of at least one bear to make a single cap for the Queen’s Guard,” Winter said in a statement.

“It makes me so angry that defenceless black bears are still being slaughtered. … [And] nursing mothers also get killed, leaving behind their young cubs. PETA has already developed a faux-fur cap … so there’s no excuse for it not to be used.”

An ethical faux alternative

The red and black uniforms of the Queen’s Guard have remained mostly unchanged since they were first introduced in the 1800s. They continue to feature a tall black hat made from the fur of Canadian black bears. 

The hats cost around £650 each and have cost taxpayers around £1 million in the last seven years. The bears are either shot or caught in painful traps and are often left to suffer in agony for days before dying. 

Despite repeated calls from animal rights groups and the general public, the government has so far refused to replace the fur with an ethical faux alternative. In 2014, they claimed this was because fake fur caps they’d trialed had become “waterlogged.”

PETA recently developed a vegan alternative in collaboration with luxury faux furrier ECOPEL. It proved to be 100 percent waterproof in a Ministry of Defence copyright test. 

A petition in support of PETA’s campaign has garnered more than 86,000 signatures, meaning it’s fast approaching the 100,000 needed to trigger a debate in parliament. Those interested can add their signature here.

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All of the animals are at least 17-years-old and have spent their entire lives in tiny barren cages on the ranches.

But now, the animal rights organization has confirmed that they’ll be able to roam free at the Four Paws animal sanctuary in Ninh Binh.

What is bear bile farming?

Bear bile farming is an established industry in Asia, with more than 10,000 bears currently in captivity.

Here, bile is frequently extracted from the livers of live bears to be used in traditional Chinese medicine.

It’s mainly Asiatic black bears, also known as moon bears, that are selected. But Sun bears and brown bears are also frequently used in the industry.

According to Animals Asia, both the conditions and extraction techniques in the trade are incredibly painful. Moreover, it causes “unimaginable physical and psychological suffering and long-term health problems.”

In some regions, the “free-drip” method is implored. This involves cutting a hole in the bears’ gall bladder to insert a permanent catheter.

What remains the same across these bile farms is that all animals are confined to small metal cages. Additionally, they’re often starved and dehydrated in order to maximize bile production.

Later in life, when they are no longer able to produce bile, they are often left to starve to death in their cages. That’s only if they haven’t already died from tumors or disease caused by the gruesome practice.

Various campaigning charities also report witnessing bears with damaged or missing teeth from trying to gnaw their way out.

It is these conditions that have prompted prominent celebrities such as Joaquin Phoenix and Stephen Fry to join welfare charities in the battle to save moon bears from the grim bile trade.

A vital rescue

On February 10 and 11 this week, World Animal Protection is conducting its biggest rescue mission to date.

It’s taking place across three farms in Vietnam – Nguyen Ngoc Tien, Huynh Thi My, and Vu Van Hien. 

All of the farms have agreed to voluntary transfers.Whilst bile extraction has been illegal in Vietnam since 2005, farmers are still allowed to keep the bears as “pets.”

According to the non-profit, this loophole has allowed for illegal bear bile extraction to carry on across the country.

But in partnership with the Forest Protection Department in Vietnam, World Animal Protection has been able to support 135 bear rescues in the country over the past five years. This is comprised of 101 voluntary rescues and 34 “confiscations.”

The ‘lucky ones’

Maya Pastakia is World Animal Protection’s wildlife campaign manager.

In a statement sent to PBN, they said: “This huge milestone means we are now nine bears closer to a bear-bile-free Vietnam.

“Despite the strides made to end bear farming in Vietnam, hundreds of bears are still suffering a torturous life in captivity for their bile. 

“These nine bears were kept in tiny cages – not much larger than a telephone booth – for at least 17 years, which is when they were first microchipped. 

“While they are the ‘lucky ones’ who are now free from cruelty, the scars from their extreme physical and psychological suffering will last their lifetime.

“The government of Vietnam must close all remaining legal loopholes. And, prohibit farmers from keeping their caged bears as pets in order to end the barbaric and illegal practice of bear bile farming.”

Phuong Le Duy, Vietnam consultant for the non-profit, added that most of the bears on the farms are thin, weak, and small due to being poorly fed.

“After meeting these bears in 2019, it’s rewarding to know that their owners have finally listened. And, can give them the peace they deserve after a lifetime of cruelty,” they added.

Issues within traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is thousands of years old and widely considered to be the oldest system of its kind in the world.

It’s centered on a connection to nature and operates on the basis of prevention being the best cure. Additionally, it heavily involves the use of remedies made from plant and animal-derived ingredients.

And, it’s not only China that conducts the practice – with reports in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe.

Among the 70 species of animals used to produce treatments are tigers, rhinos, pangolins, and sea horses – as well as black bears.

They’re harvested for their bones, blood, skin, and organs to treat a range of ailments. Many are put through immense suffering as a result and are now at risk of extinction.

Campaigners have long called for government agencies in Asia to develop herbal substitutes for the medicines. There have been notable positivities within this, including a joint assessment between World Animal Protection and the Wildlife Conservation Unit at the University of Oxford.

They found that many regular consumers are “likely to be happy to replace animal-origin medicines with sustainable plant-origin alternatives.”

Doctors are also reportedly favoring prescriptions of plant-derived alternatives.

According to wildlife campaigner Gilbert Sape, of World Animal Protection: “TCM consumers, professionals, scholars, and government agencies must unite to make [development of plant alternatives] happen – and we stand by with them to facilitate this transition.”

This article was updated on 07/02/22 to amend the date that the rescue is now taking place on

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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has forked out more than £1 million of taxpayer money in the past seven years to purchase 891 bearskin caps. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), up to 1,000 bears may have been killed to produce the hats.

The Queen’s Guards have worn these ornamental hats for more than 200 years. According to LBC, the caps were designed to make troops appear taller and more intimidating during battle.

Now, many consider the headwear to be superfluous and cruel. To Anderson, the use of them is “outrageous.”

“As you probably know, it takes the fur of at least one bear – who was likely baited and gunned down – to make just one of these ornamental caps. Some of these bears are nursing mothers whose cubs will slowly die without them there to protect and care for them,” Anderson wrote in her letter to Johnson.

“Mr Johnson, there is nothing more important for people in positions of power to do than protect the vulnerable. Please instruct the Ministry of Defence to make the switch to cruelty-free faux fur,” she added.

World’s first faux bear hat

The 54-year-old activist then urged Johnson to accept a recent offer by ECOPEL, which just launched the “world’s first” faux bear hat. 

ECOPEL built custom machinery to create the animal-free fabric, which is the same length as real bear fur. It’s also more eco-friendly, PETA says, and can easily be made entirely waterproof.

ECOPEL has offered to give the vegan bear fur to the MoD, for free, until the end of the decade. 

“It would be unconscionable not to take it and to continue to allow innocent animals to be killed when a humane alternative exists,” Anderson said about the offer. 

In 2015, when Johnson was Mayor of London, the politician said synthetic fur caps could be considered if that would “help save a few bears.” 

Johnson has not yet publicly responded to the letter.

The post Pamela Anderson Slams UK Government For Killing Up To 1,000 Bears For Queen’s Guard Caps appeared first on Plant Based News.

Salmon farming and the current climate crisis have been blasted after photographs of ‘starving’ grizzly bears have gone viral. 

The photos, taken by Rolf Hicker near Knight Inlet on the British Columbia Coast in Canada, shows an emaciated bear and her two cubs searching for food. 

‘It breaks my heart’

“I have not seen a single salmon in a river so far,” Hicker wrote on Facebook. “The bears are starving and it breaks my heart seeing this unfold.”

“I believe it is important to show this side too. Here in the Broughton is no salmon left for the bears (and whales I must assume?).

“Advertising still shows the happy bears feasting on salmon, well, sorry to say – not here.”

Volunteers from the area have delivered more than 500 salmon to the bears, in what one volunteer described to CNN as an ‘extreme measure to help our ecosystem’. 

The current climate crisis, which has caused increased water temperatures, has also been blamed for the shortage of wild salmon. 

‘A malignant cancer’

Don Staniford, Director of Scottish Salmon Watch, told MailOnline: “Salmon farming is a malignant cancer on our coasts and is killing off not just wild fish but also bears, whales and shellfish.

“Far from being a panacea, salmon farming is a pariah with global impacts. Consumers can help by boycotting farmed salmon.”

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A New Hampshire man whose identity has not been disclosed shot and lethally wounded three bear cubs on Wednesday after they broke into a chicken coop on his property.

The young bears were with their mother at the time of their death.

The family had reportedly been causing issues for the property owner for a number of days, killing a number of chickens that lived there and meddling with a beehive on the property.

Proper precautions

While not illegal – experts say the incident could have been prevented.

Andrew Timmins, of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, told Boston Globe that he’d have liked if the organization had been able to handle the situation without killing the animals, and that appropriate measures may have avoided the situation entirely.

He said: “If you take a few precautions – if you don’t feed birds in the summer and keep garbage contained and clean up and use electric fences around the chicken pen – you can really minimize these conflicts considerably.”

Lures

In discussing New Hampshire bear sightings, Chief of Fish and Game’s wildlife division, Mark Ellingwood told Concord Monitor that bears becoming habituated to human presence can ’cause problems’ and that backyard chickens and beehives act as lures for the animals.

He said: “This is a big issue for us. A lot of people want to free-range their chickens; then they find out about foxes and raccoons and hawks and bears.”

The post Man Shoots And Kills Three Bear Cubs Who Broke Into Chicken Coop appeared first on Plant Based News.

A North Carolina family reports that their five-pound dog, Pickles, lost his life protecting them from a bear who broke into their house.

Tiffany Merrill was at home with her children and miniature poodle Pickles when a bear entered their home, leaving Merrill scared for her life.

However, as she shouted for her children to hide in their rooms, Pickles appeared.

Rescue

The small barking dog ran into the family’s yard, leading the bear out of the house.

While the family believes that Pickles may have saved them from injury or death, their pet lost his life in the process.

‘Always with me’

Tiffany – who says pickles was always by her side – and her daughter Emily spoke fondly of Pickles, after recounting the story to ABC.

Emily said: “The most thing I liked about Pickles was how he would put us to bed and if someone was here he would just lay next to us.”

The post 5-Pound Dog Rescues Family From Bear appeared first on Plant Based News.

A major festival in the US has announced it will no longer feature live animal displays following pressure from campaigners.

Animal rights charity PETA contacted organizers of the North Carolina Black Bear Festival in Plymouth following its captive-bear display last year.

After being informed of the cruelty involved in such exhibits, organizers pledged to end the bear shows and teach the public about the animals humanely, through a black bear museum, expert presentations, and tours of the bears’ natural habitat.

‘Cruel and exploitative’

PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement, Brittany Peet, said: “A festival honoring beautiful bears should feature positive animal-free entertainment, not captive animals.

The North Carolina Black Bear Festival made the kind choice to pull the plug on cruel and exploitative bear exhibits, and PETA is calling on all other fairs and festivals still featuring live animals to follow suit.”

According to the charity, in nature bears avoid humans and ‘spend their days digging, climbing, running, and swimming across vast home ranges’ – fiercely different to captive bears who are often kept in cramped confinement, and forced to perform for people, causing stress and depression.

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Nepal’s last two known illegal ‘dancing bears’ have been rescued by the Jane Goodall Institute of Nepal, with support from World Animal Protection [WAP] and Nepali police.

Rangila, a 19-year-old male and Sridevi, a 17-year-old female, were sold to their owner for this cruel, outlawed practice where bears are made to ‘dance’ as entertainment for crowds of people.

WAP describes this as ‘torture’.

Snatched

According to WAP: “Bears like Rangila and Sridevi are snatched from their mother at an early age and forced to perform. 

“Their ‘owner’ had pierced their nose with a burning hot rod and shoved a rope through it – to retain control of the large animals. 

“Harsh training methods are then used to make the bears submissive enough to perform to tourists.”

Emotional

The bears were found in Iharbari, Nepal with the help of local police.

Agencies used mobile phone tracking of the animals’ ‘owners’. 

According to WAP, the rescue was ’emotional for all involved’. 

The bears – who were in an extremely distressed state, showing signs of psychological trauma such as cowering, pacing and paw sucking – are now on their way to be placed in the temporary care of Amlekhgunj Forest and Wildlife Reserve.

‘Suffered’ 

Neil D’Cruze, World Animal Protection, said: “Rangila and Sridevi have suffered for too long in captivity since they were poached from the wild. 

“It’s extremely distressing to see animals being stolen from the wild and the sad reality is there are more wild animals suffering across the world, purely for the entertainment of tourists. 

“I am pleased that for these two sloth bears at least; a happy ending is finally in sight.”

‘Thrilled’

 Manoj Gautam, Jane Goodall Institute of Nepal, added: “We are thrilled that the last two known Nepali dancing bears have been rescued from their lifetime of suffering. 

“After a year of tracking them, using our own intelligence and in cooperation with local police, our hard effort and dedication has helped to bring an end to this illegal tradition in Nepal.”

Horrific

According to WAP, while this is good news, there is still work to do.

The organization says: “Bears continue to suffer across Asia. 

“World Animal Protection will continue its campaign to protect bears, particularly from the horrific blood sport of bear-baiting and the cruel and unnecessary bear bile industry. 

“In this horrific industry, approximately 22,000 Asiatic black bears are stuck in tiny cages, with permanent holes in their stomach to be constantly milked for their bile. 

“Their bile and gallbladders are dried, powdered, and sold as panacea to be used as ‘traditional medicine’.”

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