All you need to do is look into his eyes and you can see the unimaginable pain that this bear has endured.

For his entire life he has been kept in a small dirty cage. He has been poked with needles up to 23 cm (9 inches) long so his bile can be extracted from his gallbladder, and as a reaction to this stress he has sores all over his body from banging himself against the bars.

He is treated like a product, not a living breathing creature that can feel pain. Yet everyday he has felt this. And he is not alone.

Over 20,000 bears globally are living in horrendous conditions to fuel the multi-million dollar bear bile trade. This despite the availability of cruelty free plant-based and synthetic alternatives.

Our work is more important than ever for educating, campaigning and actively monitoring and urging the surrendering of bears by their owners. This is because false information on how bear bile can be a ‘cure’ for COVID-19 and other illnesses is harming these beautiful animals in greater numbers.

The irony is, that the cruel ways in which wild animals are treated, is actually the reason for the increase in these zoonotic diseases. This is why I hope you will donate today to help bears today.

Your donation today of $43 can fund a bear crime officer for one day who can prevent illegal poaching, $65 can provide anaesthetic and a microchip for one bear that can be monitored and one day hopefully surrendered.

Whatever you give, you will be helping build a global mass movement that will stand up and demand change to end the wildlife trade forever, which will stop the cruel treatment of bears and other animals.

How does our microchipping work help bears that are currently suffering?

Beyond allowing us to monitor these bears and prevent illegal activity, it can also lead to the surrender and release of bears.

In 2019, an owner of a bear bile facility in Vietnam finally agreed to surrender six bears as a result of our ongoing pressure and microchipping work in the country. Last September, the six bears were finally released and transferred to the Four Paws rescue centre. They are the first of 18 bears that should be released by the owner.

Le Duy Phuong, bears in the wild consultant for World Animal Protection, negotiated the deal, but he couldn’t have done so without the ongoing generosity from our donors.

How is the bear bile trade connected to Canada?

Currently Canada has one of the healthiest populations of black bears, as other regions globally have seen numbers significantly decrease due to habitat loss, and the demand for their meat and organs for traditional medicine.

Wildlife enforcement officers are, however, already seeing an increase in demand for bear organs, specifically gall bladders for bear bile for traditional medicine use and bear baculums and testicles, for soups that are considered a ‘delicacy’.

The trade in bear’s gall bladder, while illegal in most parts of Canada, still exists due to a patchwork of legislation throughout the provinces and territories. Loopholes in the regulations are suspected to fuel the illegal trade through legal and illegal hunting practices.

It doesn’t stop there. Our undercover investigation also revealed that not only is Canada a source for bear bile, but there is demand from Canadians for bear bile products coming in from Asia.

Our investigation team visited 25 stores in Ontario that sold traditional medicine, and found that six of them either stocked bear bile products or offered to order them. Four vendors had medicine with bear bile in it for sale. Vendors appeared to be using smuggling networks from China and Hong Kong to obtain bear bile products in Canada to meet the increased demand.

This has to stop. Bears belong in the wild. Not cages. Not medicine cabinets. We need your support today to protect them, so please if you can donate now.