The bears in this video may seem healthy and happy, but this wasn’t always the case. After being removed from bear bile farms in China and Vietnam, they were brought to sanctuaries. Thanks to their rescuers, the bears now live in safe and sanitary conditions. They can be seen excitedly opening Christmas gifts and receiving festive treats from their compassionate caretakers.
Commercial farming for the purposes of extracting bile from the gallbladders of bears began in China during the ’80s. The bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine, despite the existence of synthetic alternatives. Bears on these farms are confined to cages their entire lives, often without enough room to walk or stand.
Farmers drain bile using cruel methods that are painful and unhygienic, usually by inserting a tube into the bear without proper anesthesia. This procedure is usually not done by a veterinarian, and the bears who undergo this inhumane treatment often develop deadly tumors and infections while farmers pump them full of antibiotics just to keep them alive. Many bears are kept in these conditions their entire lives.
There has been some success in curbing bear bile farming. As a first step in ending the practice, China vowed in July to rescue 500 bears that were being held captive on a bile farm.
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This was cute. They are so adorables. Poor things. Thank you all to make them happy.
It warms my heart to know that there are still people out there that do kind things to all creatures great and small.
I hope their food treats are organic/non GMO/no gluten etc. I am glad they are free and treating them well even with presents! Thank you for helping the bears!!
Счастливые мишки! Как хорошо!!!
Just beautiful — thank you so much for protecting them — very good job indeed — HOW they appreciate & love FOOD!
Lovely post. It is not only in China and Vietnam that animals are ‘milked’ for their bile. When I was in Harvard in the mid-1970s, Professor Whipple told me an anecdote of a Russian astronomer who kept a vial of (bull or bear?) bile in the refrigerator for his personal use. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
So lovely to see these dear bears being properly cared for. ..thank you Animals Asia
This video filled my heart! <3 Thank you for sharing! Thank you Animals Asia for ALL you do for the animals. We need to support organizations like Animals for the amazing work they do.
Warms my heart! So very happy for them!
A big thank you for the vital work you do for these bears.
One of the most heartwarming Christmas videos I’ve seen this year. Thank you Animals Asia for all you do to help animals in need.
AWESOME! THEY ALL DESERVE TO BE ALLOWED JUST TO BE BEARS OR WHATEVER THEY ARE! MERRRRRRRYYYYYYY CHRISTMASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU DO!
I am speechless at this activity and it gave me much joy to see these bears so happy and content now.
Thank you to all concerned
This is the loveliest video ever, thank you for sharing, these poor bears ???? deserve this after the torturous lives they had before
Yes!
We won’t be satisfied until ALL BILE BEARS ARE SET FREE! Its nice that China'”VOWS” to release 500 bear captives undergoing painful, unhealthy bile farming but this is a drop in the bucket of what this barbaric nation needs to do. Animal protection laws which ban sadism, agonizing pain and exploitation of all animals is desperately needed in cruel China. And we will see if its “VOWS” are kept. They often are only unkept promises. Thank you for this upbeat video of how bears should be allowed to live to their potential. We needed this lovely piece of Christmas. The videos we must view are always so dismal in animal advocacy work.
Well said Diane.
It is great to see these tormented bears in China and Vietnam, looking so healthy and happy. All the people involved at Animals Asia are heros for the amazing work they do. Thank You.
Great news..but makes me think of all the bears that haven’t been rescued, and will it really end..for good, by China and Vietnam?
I doubt it, wishful thinking on my part, but thank God for the activists involved and the important work they do for the bears.
I’m so happy that these bears are now living a better and more comfortable life. These bear bile farms need to be disbanded.
Makes me very happy that there are other people who care enough to make this happen..