You Can Help Save Vietnam’s Saddest Bears From Bile Farms!

Bears have long fascinated humans with their impressive fishing and foraging skills, their hibernation practices, and their adorable cuddly cubs. Theodore Roosevelt was so enamored with bears as a symbol of the freedom of the West that he created the “Teddy bear,” a stuffed toy that has become the favorite of children around the world. However, despite people’s apparent fondness for these impressive animals, bears are exploited by humans for a profit in circuses, tourist attractions, and the bile industry.

Across the world, bears are kept in cramped cages for up to 30 years and forced to endure painful bile extractions from their gallbladder which is then used in cosmetics, medicines, and even wine. Several organizations have been fighting to save these beautiful bears, and many have been successful. However, according to a petition on Care2, there are still too many bears suffering on bile farms across the world, including an estimated 1,300 bears in Vietnam alone.

Although the petition acknowledges that the Vietnamese government has made progress toward ending bile farms, there is still a lot that needs to be done. The petition is calling on us to sign a letter addressed to the Vietnamese government asking for major changes to ensure bears are no longer farmed for bile extraction, that bear farms are strictly monitored with penalties and confiscations for those who do not comply with the law, and, ultimately, to shut down all bile farms by 2020 and send all of the bears to rescue centers and sanctuaries.

Please share this with your friends and family and encourage them to sign the petition too! The power to save these beautiful bears begins with you!

Image Source: kunanon/Shutterstock