About Moon Bears

Up to 15,000 Moon Bears are trapped on bear bile farms across Asia in torturous conditions being milked for their bile.  They are captured in the wild, or some are bred in captivity, and used in bear bile farming in China, Vietnam, Korea and Laos.

Moon Bears are Asiatic Black Bears and are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Appendix I, the most critical category of endangerment.

Moon Bears are trapped in coffin crush cages for between 10 to 30 years. Because the Moon Bears have a very strong constitution, they will survive these torturous conditions for decades and they are living literally in hell and pain.

Bear bile is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, leading Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors now agree that it can and should be replaced by herbal and synthetic alternatives that are cheaper, more effective and readily available. There are 54 substitutes for bear bile on the market right now.  

Bear Bile Farms

Every day the Moon Bears are milked on these bear bile farms. They lie motionless in their cage, unable to move or stand up. They writhe and moan in agony and are in constant suffering. Bears are milked usually twice a day, just before they are fed on a watery gruel diet....so that they produce more bile for the farmer.

Their bile is extracted through a number of barbaric methods. Inserting crude metal catheters that are forced into their abdomen is one method, and their bile is extracted through tubes. A hole being bored into the bears’ abdomen is another, so the bile is left to drip through gaping wounds. Some bears are made to wear a metal cage that tightly grips around their stomachs and literally are melded into their bodies over time causing them even more pain.

The Depravation of Magnificent Moon Bears

Their physical condition is intolerable. Some Moon Bears who have been trapped in the wild are missing limbs. Some are blind. They are undernourished and often starved. Their paws are cracked and sore because they have never touched solid ground. They have scars and wounds on their heads where they bash against the cage bars in despair. When Moon Bears are found on farms, they have often completely outgrown their cage with their limbs sticking out and no more room to grow, so they have stunted bodies, heads and limbs.

These poor bears will bite their own paws, feet and body to deflect the constant pain and suffering they endure from the bear bile farming. They lick their wounds, which are infected and continually dripping with pus. They are sick and depraved for decades.

All of the bears have rotting teeth and gums from biting on the bars of their cage, and they are all badly underweight and malnourished, because they only receive watery rice gruel as food and have often been starved. Because starving bears produce more bile.

Most of the rescued bears have huge tumours and other internal and external injuries caused by the constant milking and injury to their bodies over the years.

Animals Asia Foundation's Rescue Work

Animals Asia was founded in 1998 by Jill Robinson MBE who has been rescuing Moon Bears since 1995. They are the ONLY charity in Vietnam and China who work on the ground to rescue the endangered Moon Bears and take them to their sanctuaries where they care for them for the rest of their lives.

They also work to promote and highlight the cruelty behind the bear bile industry and to raise awareness of their plight throughout Asia and the world. They work with the Chinese and Vietnamese Government and authorities.

They have two sanctuaries where rescued Moon Bears live safe and free, one in Vietnam and one in China. They rescue the bears, perform life-saving surgery which is carried out by professional veterinary teams and rehabilitate them which takes months and years.

It costs £6,500 to rescue and care for one Moon Bear for one year, and they need as much help and support in order to keep rescuing and fighting for the bears.

Not all Moon Bears make it after rescue which is a tragedy. But for the lucky ones who do make it, they have a bright and happy future after rescue and are cared for and given whatever medication, health checks and surgery is needed. They are given fresh fruit, honey and lots of treats, including browse which they love.

They are all rehabilitated to help them recover from their physical and mental torture over many years, which itself takes months and years, and live a happy life free of pain in AAF's sanctuaries in China and Vietnam.

Forgiveness

When the Moon Bears are rescued, the most amazing thing for me is how forgiving these rescued bears are towards humans. I feel that they can teach the human race a thing or two about forgiveness and serenity.

About My Trek

I will be doing a 6-day 45 mile trek in the remotest parts of China climbing to an altitude of 10,000ft . The terrain will be mixed including rivers, lush forests and high mountain passes. The nearest hospital is 10 hours away. There will be no running water, no sanitation, no hotels or guest accommodation, very scarce hot water and some electricity if there aren't any power cuts! We'll be travelling with guides, horses and horsemen and meeting ethnic minority communities along the way. One village, formed in 618 AD, is 5000 ft high and has only 100 families living there today. To get to this remote village is via a single path 1 metre wide and surrounded by clifftops. I am paying all of my own expenses, so every penny you donate will go to help and fight for these poor Moon Bears.

I have been supporting Animals Asia's amazing work to rescue the Moon Bears for 11 years. I have never done anything like this before, so it will be a personal challenge for me, and I know that it is something I have to do for the precious Moon Bears. I will also be undertaking an exercise and training programme to help me prepare for my trek and to make sure I am at my optimium fitness levels.

I really appreciate your donation, no matter how small, because every single penny you donate will go towards these beautiful creatures. You can find out more about my trek here.

You can find out more about Animals Asia's work to end bear bile farming once and for all here. You can also find out more about Moon Bears here. And you can also watch the AAF video I have uploaded on this page that will give you more information on Moon Bears and their plight on bear bile farms. You can also Like the Facebook page I set up to raise awareness of the Moon Bears and their plight www.facebook.com/moonbearrescue

As a thank you, please leave your email details and I will send you a special photo of the Moon Bears that I have taken when I go on to visit the Animals Asia sanctuary in Chengdu after the trek, which is my dream come true :-)

Thank you and bear hugs.

Sonya xxxxxx