ABOVE: A most contemplative moon bear. Photo Eric Kilby
We’re crazy for moon bears every day, but especially today after seeing “Moon Bear Monday” at The Dodo.
They feature Maple and Dolly the Moon Bears, who were rescued from a bile battery farm in Vietnam. They’ve lost limbs and have residual emotional problems, but it’s not surprising given the lives they had before.
Along the border with China in Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, these gentle fuzzy creatures are crammed into “crush cages” where a hole is punched in their bellies and a catheter is snaked into their gall bladder to milk their precious bile. Some are strapped into metal boxes which both puncture their organs and collect the bile. They often die of infection.
Why? Because in Traditional Chinese Medicine such awful cruelty is justified by the cures it promises. In this case it’s believed to treat everything from hemorrhoids and sore throats to epilepsy and gall stones. It’s also good for recovering from a bad hangover.
The Dodo writes:
Nearly 2,000 bears remain on bear bile farms around Vietnam where their bile is illegally extracted for use in traditional medicine. The extraction process causes serious physical harm to the animals’ internal organs while they are also kept in unsuitable conditions which cause long-term mental damage.
Despite the illegality of the industry and the existence of herbal and synthetic alternatives, the cruel trade persists in the country.
But growing animal rights movements in those countries are starting to fight for the thousands of captive moon bears. Local and international groups like Animals Asia have created rescue centers like those now caring for Maple and Dolly.
Read more at The Dodo.
Photo: Asian Animal Protection Network
Photos: Dan Bennett
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