Bear Vurk
You can write an e-mail protesting this to the China Embassy in Washington,
D.C. Direct your comments to Ambassador Li Zhaoxing at
http://www.webmasted@china-embassy.org.
Update on bear bile extraction, 18 September 2000
Bear bile farms exist in China. The bears are held in tight cages (usually made of lashed bamboo) to keep them from moving and dislodging the permanent taps for their bile. Bear bile has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. Statistics show that in 1998 there were 247 bear farms with 6,764 bears living on licensed farms.IFAW has been working for several years to end this practice but it will take many years to educate young Chinese to the cruelty involved in this practice and the lack of need for medicine made from bear bile (there are numerous herbal alternatives).
Two years ago, we opened our first office in China and have signed an agreement with government officials to work peacefully in China to set up animal shelters and provide animal welfare education to school children. We also opened the first bear sanctuary for bears released from bile farms. Currently, there are only seven bears inhabiting the sanctuary but we are hopeful that through the efforts of our IFAW team, more bears will follow.
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