South East MEP Pledges Support to End Animal Cruelty

6.39.25pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 11th Nov 2005

Moon Bears like this one are being kept in captivity to be milked for their valuable bile.

A South East Euro-MP is calling for an end to one of the most cruel treatment of animals known to take place anywhere in the world.

As many as 9,000 bears in China are kept in tiny cages that prevent their movement to be 'milked' for their bile using metal catheters inserted into the animal's gall bladder.

Known as 'Moon Bears' for the golden crescent across their chests these endangered bears are subjected to a lifetime of misery.

Half the animals are said to die during or shortly after the insertion of the catheter. Those that survive suffer from tumours, infections from open wounds, abscesses and hernias.

The bile taken from the gall bladders of the living bears is used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of ailments including stomach and digestive disorders and kidney problems.

South East Liberal Democrat MEP Sharon Bowles is backing a call for the Chinese government to bring about a complete ban on bear bile farming. Pressure on the country's leaders to end the cruel practice is expected to grow in the time before China hosts the 2008 Olympic Games.

Mrs Bowles said: "This is a truly vile practice. What the bears suffer is nothing less than torture and it must be brought to an end."

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) claim there is no need for bear bile as there are perfectly adequate synthetic alternatives which contain the active ingredient found in bile.

Trade in bear bile is highly profitable with customers paying as much as $20 per gram on the international market. Even conservative estimates say the annual production of bear bile from China alone is worth $100 million.

Life expectancy of the caged bears is 10 years, just a third of their

natural life span in the wild.

Ends

Notes to editors:

More information on bear bile farming can be found on the WSPA website - www.wspa.org.uk