Key Facts

7,632 bears still suffer on 481 bile farms across China.
Bear farming began in China and South Korea in the early 1980s to supply bile for heart- and liver-related illnesses, high fevers, and burns.
Today, there are at least 54 herbal alternatives to bear bile for the treatment of specific ailments.
Asiatic black bears (Ursus selenarctos thibetanus) are often called "moon bears" because of the golden crescent in the fur on their chest.
Moon bears live primarily in high altitude areas from Pakistan to Japan and inhabit the forests in the north and central regions of China. Their range extends from the Himalayas to Laos and Taiwan, China.
Farming bears does not protect wild populations. Wild bears continue to be being hunted for their parts throughout their range.