Trafficking
What is bear bile farming?
Bear bile farming cages moon bears and sun bears for gallbladder extraction — an estimated 20,000 bears remain on farms in parts of East and Southeast Asia.
In brief
Bear bile farming keeps Asiatic black bears (moon bears) and sun bears in small cages to extract bile from their gallbladders for use in traditional medicine. It remains legal in parts of East and Southeast Asia with an estimated 20,000 bears on farms.
By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated
Bear bile farming keeps Asiatic black bears (moon bears) and sun bears in crush cages to extract bile from gallbladders for traditional medicine. Bears may spend decades with catheters or free-drip fistulas, showing stereotypic behaviour and chronic infection. Synthetic and plant-based alternatives to ursodeoxycholic acid exist, yet farming persists through cultural demand and profit. Confiscated bears need lifetime sanctuary care — donors fund veterinary treatment and enclosure upgrades.
~20K
Bears estimated on bile farms
30+
Years a bear may spend caged
2
Primary species — moon bear and sun bear
1980s
Farming intensified as wild bear numbers fell
Quick facts
| Species | Asiatic black bear (moon bear) and sun bear — both threatened |
|---|---|
| Method | Permanent catheters, free-drip fistulas or repeated needle extraction |
| Active regions | Legal in parts of China, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar — bans expanding |
| Active ingredient | Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) — synthetic versions available |
| Welfare impact | Crush cages, tooth removal, infection, stereotypic pacing |
| Rescue | Confiscated bears need lifetime sanctuary — cannot return to wild |
Key takeaways
- An estimated 20,000 bears remain on bile farms — mostly moon bears in China.
- Crush cages, catheters and fistulas cause chronic infection and psychological trauma.
- Synthetic UDCA alternatives exist — farming persists through demand and profit.
- Confiscated bears need lifetime sanctuary — cannot return to the wild.
- Vietnam and others ban or restrict farming; China maintains licensed farms.
- CITES Appendix I bans international commercial trade in bear parts.
How bile farming works
Farmers extract bile — a digestive fluid stored in the gallbladder — for use in traditional medicine. Moon bears and sun bears are confined in metal crush cages barely larger than their bodies, preventing movement that might dislodge catheters. Extraction methods include permanent abdominal catheters, free-drip fistulas cut through the abdomen and repeated needle aspiration. Infections, abscesses and liver damage are common. Teeth and claws are often removed without veterinary care to reduce injury to handlers. Bears may remain in these conditions for twenty to thirty years — their entire adult lives — producing bile sold for profit.
Demand and alternatives
Bear bile contains ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), used in some traditional formulas and Western medicine for certain liver conditions. Synthetic UDCA is widely available and chemically identical. Plant-based alternatives exist in traditional pharmacopoeias. Vietnam and South Korea have moved toward banning farming; China maintains legal farms with licensing systems that critics say enable laundering of wild-caught bears. Consumer education campaigns in East Asia reduce demand among younger generations, but cultural attachment and profit sustain the industry where it remains legal.
From farm to sanctuary
Confiscated and surrendered bears arrive with liver disease, missing teeth, paw deformities from cage floors and psychological trauma. They cannot be released to the wild — they lack survival skills and territory. Sanctuaries provide large enclosures, pools, climbing structures and veterinary care for life. Lifetime care costs tens of thousands per bear. Moon bear sanctuaries in Vietnam and China — supported by international donors — demonstrate that rescued bears can recover socially when housed with conspecifics in enriched environments. Each rescue removes one bear from suffering but does not alone end farming; policy change and demand reduction are essential.
Legal landscape and enforcement
Bear bile farming legality varies: banned in Cambodia and increasingly restricted in Vietnam; licensed farms persist in parts of China. Wild bear poaching supplements farms when stock dies — both species are CITES Appendix I with international trade banned. Enforcement raids seize bears and prosecute illegal operators, but capacity for confiscated animals depends on sanctuary space funded largely by donations. WARN’s moon bears appeal targets partner sanctuary care — veterinary treatment, enclosure construction and food for bears rescued from bile farms and illegal trade in Vietnam and neighbouring countries.
What WARN does
WARN’s moon bears appeal funds partner sanctuary care in Vietnam — veterinary treatment, enclosure upgrades and lifetime food for bears confiscated from bile farms and illegal trade.