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February 09 Protect Asian Bears! Don't Use Bear Bile!In a press conference today, the WSPA announced that they have secured 18 Canadian associations representing over 4,000 of the country's Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners to a joint statement in support of animal protection and alternatives to bear bile. Having ganied the support of so many TCM associations, WSPA's Canadian office is now moving to gain the support from the Chinese-Canadian business and general community. It will now embark on the second phase of its Canadian bear bile awareness campaign, which includes the use of TV spots and print ads.
How Bear Bile is Extracted
 Bear farming is one of the worst forms of acute long term cruelty perpetrated against an animal by humans. WSPA estimates more than 14,000 bears are currently living in farms across Asia. They are kept in tiny cages and regularly have their bile, which is used in traditional medicine, extracted through a permanent wound in their abdomen. The farms cause both extreme physical pain and severe psychological suffering to bears. A Life of Brutality
 Once a cub reaches three years of age it is moved into a tiny cage for the rest of its life. The cage often measures no more than 1m high by 1m wide by 2m long. This means the bear won’t be able to stand up or move around for the rest of its life. The psychological problems caused by this cruel confinement are startlingly similar to those present in some human mental illnesses. In order to extract the bile, bears undergo an invasive surgical procedure usually performed by untrained farm workers. The procedure creates a tube-like pathway to the gall bladder into which a plastic or metal tube is inserted to drain the bile. The wound never heals and causes agonising pain, as well as ongoing risk of infection, which can be fatal. Up to 60% of bears die shortly after the initial procedure because of the lack of veterinary skills present during the operation. Other methods used to extract bile include the implantation of a permanent catheter or extraction using a syringe. Once bears stop producing bile they are left to die or are killed for their paws and gall bladder.
The Practice Continues
 The bear farming industry exists on the largest scale in China, with more than 9000 bears in Chinese farms. But a further 6000 bears are farmed in Korea and Vietnam. Vietnam has recently signed an agreement with WSPA to stop bear farming in that country and this plan is currently being implemented. However, at present in China and Korea, the practice continues. What WSPA Can Do for the Bears
 According to many practitioners of Traditional Medicine there is no reason to use bear bile in treatments today because there are many cheaper alternatives. The campaign seeks to end bear farming, so that in the future no bears will suffer such cruel treatment. To achieve this goal, WSPA is working through the campaign in 3 stages:
1. Promotion of alternatives to bear bile.
2. Biological, medicinal and welfare research to build a rational and science-based case for tyhe cessation of bear farming on animal welfare grounds.
3. Internal-governmental cooperation.
What You and I Can Do
Protect Asian Bears. Don't Use Bear Bile.
Please visit www.bearbile.org and spread the word!
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