Asiatic black bear

Asiatic Black Bear, or ‘Moon Bear’ (Ursus Thibetanus)
Although various parts of the bear have historically been used both for food and for medicine, it is the gall bladder and the dried bile that are most prized and therefore the most valuable.  The use of bear gall bladder in medicine requires the bear to be killed, endangering bear populations, while the use of bear bile, mostly from farmed bears, additionally has profound animal welfare implications.

• Endangered status
• Bear bile extraction
• Alternatives to bear bile
• Current response of the profession
• Outlook for the Asiatic black bear
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