Moon bear bile had been a part of Asian traditional medicine for several millennia. In South Korea, animal rights campaigners continue to fight for their freedom.
Moon bears, or Asian black bears, have been kept in farms and are legally killed for their bile in South Korea and China. Their bile contains high concentrations of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) which is used to treat gall bladder and liver conditions.
Traditionally, moon bears were hunted and killed just for their gall bladder. Today, an estimated 12,000 bears are farmed in China and Vietnam. Bear farms in Vietnam have been illegal since 2005, but farmers continue to keep bears and claim them as pets.
In South Korea, more than 400 bears are kept in farms, waiting to be slaughtered for their bile. The decline of the country's native bear population has moved campaigners to try and save the moon bears.
Farm Conditions
In one farm alone, reporters from BBC accounted for 121 bears. Many of the moon bears have had limbs and fur removed.
Since some cages have rusted, shared farm owner Kim Gwang-soo, several bears have escaped. Due to tight spaces, some bears have attacked each other and died.
The cages are usually three by six feet in size while larger cages would hold up to ten bears. The farms also have extremely poor hygiene conditions causing the bears to act unnaturally.
As long as the bears are over ten years old, they can be legally killed. Their bile makes several concoctions as medication for hangovers and cardiovascular diseases. The bears are also hunted for their meat and feet.
However, South Koreans have been adapting to modern medicine. The decline of the moon bear farm industry has also caused farmers to lack resources to feed the animals.
Moreover, moon bears naturally hibernate during the winter. The caged bears stripped of their natural hibernation patterns have caused them to act abnormally and even resort to self-harm.
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Restoration Program
Since the farmers and bears are suffering, Kim Soo-jin from the Korean Animal Welfare Association said, "the government needs to stop this bear farming and free these bears from their cages." She hopes the moon bears can also be placed in proper sanctuaries.
At Jirisan National Park, Chil-o is one of the moon bears that are part of the Asiatic Black Bear restoration program. Before being hunted and killed, the park used to be home to hundreds of bears.
Currently, 69 moon bears reside in the park and are closely monitored by researchers. One of the workers explained that if they bears get too close to local residents, they need to intervene and "push [the bears] away."
Kim Soo-jin said, "Especially in these coronavirus times when there needs to be an importance putting distance between wildlife and humans, these bear farms should disappear and be a historical mistake."
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