1. Bear bile does have medicinal uses but there are cruelty-free alternatives
Bear bile has been used in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years. It contains high levels of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) known to be useful for treating liver and gall bladder conditions. However, there are now many readily available herbal and synthetic alternatives with the same medicinal properties. Traditional medicine practitioners agree, nobody’s health will suffer due to a lack of bear bile.
In the past bear bile would be obtained by hunting bears in the wild and killing them to remove their gall bladder. It would have been a particularly rare and prized ingredient at the time used sparingly for specific medical conditions. In the 1980s however, bear bile farming began to be practiced as a way of constantly extracting bile for the duration of a bear’s life. Today more than 12,000 bears are believed to be kept on bear bile farms in China and Vietnam
2. Extracting bile from bears is as cruel and painful as you would imagine
The extraction of bear bile from live bears causes unimaginable suffering and long term health problems for these physically and psychologically damaged animals.
A number of techniques exist, all of which are particularly gruesome. While the techniques vary between Vietnam and China, each involves bears being kept in tiny cages. Extraction methods range from “free drip” where the bear suffers a hole in their gall bladder, to the insertion of permanent catheters.
Crush cages and bears locked into metal jackets have now been made illegal in China – but are likely to still be used in poorer farms. Bears literally grow up in tiny cages to the point where their bodies have contorted to fit the bars. Most have few teeth left due to literally trying to chew their way out
In China some farms have breeding programmes, but also rely on these being added to by poaching bears from the wild. Many bears can be caged as cubs and never released, suffering up to 30 years of continuous torture by bile extraction.
Most farmed bears however are starved, dehydrated and suffer from multiple diseases and malignant tumours that ultimately kill them.
3. The Chinese people don’t want bear bile farming
A 2011 poll by Animals Asia found that a staggering 87% of Chinese people interviewed disagree with the cruel practice of bear bile farming
The medical community too is shunning bear bile farming, with thousands of pharmacies recently pledging never to stock bile products as part of Animals Asia’s Healing Without Harm programme.
This year the owners of Nanning Bear Bile Farm asked us to take over and convert it into a sanctuary. They were in agreement that the industry must end – because, in their words, bear bile farming is both cruel and hopeless.
Meanwhile Kai Bao, the biggest single buyer of bear bile, recently announced they were pursuing research into bear bile alternatives with government backing. The suggestion remains that the market is reducing.
4. It’s still legal in China but not in Vietnam
Unfortunately, bear bile farming is still completely legal in China – albeit with regulations aimed at curbing the worst cruelty of the industry. Regulations that are circumvented or ignored time and again – so far, with no prosecutions being made.
In Vietnam, bear bile farming has been technically illegal since 1992, but it wasn’t until 2005 that species-specific legislation was introduced banning the exploitation of these endangered animals. Sadly, bear bile farming persists in the country due to legal loopholes as well as the fact that demand still exists.
5. We won’t stop fighting until bear bile farming is ended for good
Since being set up in 1998 Animals Asia has continuously campaigned to end bear bile farming in China and Vietnam. Thanks to the staunch support of people all over the world, we have been able to take bear bile farming from a dark secret to an international outrage. We have rescued more than 500 bears in Vietnam and China from the cruelty of bear bile farms and are absolutely committed to ending this cruel trade.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your help and the help of everyone you know to condemn this barbaric industry to the history books. So please, tell your friends, share this article and support our work. Together we can end the cruelty.
LOZNICA RESCUES NEED HELP WITH THEIR VACCINATION’S, SPAYING’S AND NEUTERING’S: LET’S DO THIS RIGHT FOR THESE DOGS!
After those celebrating moments when we had your breathtaking support and we were fighting together to save as many lives as possible, came the time when isolation period was over and the need for vaccinations, testings, spaying’s and neutering’s has started.
All 49 last saved dogs plus almost 90 previously rescued are now ready for their first vaccination against infectious diseases and each every one of them needs 4D testings, ultra sounds, neutering’s and spaying’s.
WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF SPAYING’S AND NEUTERING’S, BUT WE WERE FORCED TO STOP AS ALL FUNDS ARE AT THE ROCK BOTTOM, CONSUMED BY THE COSTS OF THE RESCUE AND IMMEDIATE AFTERCARE AT THE VETS.
Many of the dogs who were already brutally butchered with primitive surgery in the kill shelter, need their neuter and spaying redone properly. On the top of our worries, that time of year has come and many unspayed females are currently in the heat, which makes our kennels very hard to control – and males clash.
WE CANNOT DO ANY OF THIS WITHOUT YOUR VERY KIND CONTINUED HELP AND SUPPORT .
For Your kind donations, PayPal address: humanimalserbia@gmail.com or just click the PayPal button bellow:
The cost of each vaccine is 12.50 euros, the cost of each 4D test is 20 euros and the cost of reworking the tens of botched neutering and spayings varies from 25 euros up to 90 euros for some of the badly botched females to be redone and cleared of infections, plus 20 euros for previous ultra sounds.
It is a lot when numbers add. It is a lot for anyone to do this alone. But, we are not alone!
WE HAVE YOU! THE GREATEST DOG LOVER TEAM IN THE WORLD AND TOGETHER WE ALREADY MANAGED MIRACLES TO HAPPEN. WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!
PLEASE HELP US TO DO THIS RIGHT!
We are desperate to raise the funding now to continue with what needs to be done next. Can you help them go to their forever homes. Any donation, no matter how tiny, helps a dog in our care.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT BOTH PAST AND PRESENT. YOU REALLY ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR RESCUE. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU.
Together we took on the world’s largest tuna company and won!
With your help, we confronted Thai Union at sea, on land — in every continent it operates, and took the fight directly to its headquarters in Thailand as only Greenpeace can do.
This is good news for turtles and sharks, sea birds and tuna. It is also great for hundreds of thousands of workers at sea, many of whom have been victims of horrendous working conditions and human rights abuses.
You signed petitions, shared with your friends, and demanded that supermarkets carry better products, and it paid off.
Thai Union, the owner of global brands like Chicken of the Sea, Mareblu, Petit Navire, and Sealect, has committed to real changes that will help make its supply chains safer for both our oceans and workers at sea.
Thai Union now joins the likes of Greenseas and John West Australia as seafood companies that you’ve taken on and won against!
This is a huge win for people power – but the fight doesn’t end today. While Thai Union’s commitments are substantial, we must keep the pressure on. We must monitor Thai Union’s progress to ensure compliance and we must expand this fight to the rest of the out-of-control seafood industry.
Here are three things you can do right now to help mark this momentous occasion:
Thanks to your hard work, Thai Union is going to reduce its dependence on fishing methods that kill sharks and turtles, scale up its reliance on more sustainable fishing methods, and work to ensure all vessels in its supply chains are living up to strict standards for workers.
Not only that, the company will increase transparency so you can find where tuna was caught and which fishing method was used. It will also allow for independent observers and auditing on its vessels to help address human rights abuse at sea.
These are major changes that set a new standard for the seafood industry. But it is up to us to demand that other companies act immediately. Can you help build on this momentum and support all of Greenpeace’s important work?
For far too long, the seafood industry has profited off destruction and human rights abuses. This victory shows that people power can change the biggest seafood companies, but we need to keep up the fight.
Your work got us this far. Let’s continue the fight to protect our oceans in the years to come. We are winning!
Sincerely,
Graham Forbes
Global Seafood Markets Leader, Greenpeace
Posted on July 10, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
SAV Comment – Having been involved with live animal transport / export monitoring for over 25 years, we think it fair to say that we have noticed an excess amount of accidents involving animal transporters happen especially in Germany. Why ? – long hours for drivers; having to get animals to the slaughterhouse ready for when they open in the morning ? If we can track our past instances, then we will be adding these to this post at the end.
On Tuesday, July 4th there was an accident with a truck transport with 7,000 chickens on the autobahn in between Salzburg and Vienna.
The presumed cause: the driver is asleep !!!
Many of the animals died on the accident, others were running around, but most of them should be euthanized.
We can imagine how the animals were loaded when the number was 7,000!!!.
The organization PETA has created display against the driver. And I would also grant an indication against the morality of my fellow men, who ordered their roast chicken at the restaurant. For such accidents and victims are the direct guilty and the indirect guilty responsible!
The firefighters have complained that the other drivers on the highway did not want to leave a rescue zones. And there were also many scoundrels who just looked and did nothing!!
This made the rescue of the animals even more difficult.
Yes, of course! they are only chickens, they thought. If the victims were people?
Exactly on this question has answered Helmut.F.Kaplan, the well-known Austrian animal ethicist on his website following:
The Difference:
When people have an accident, the salvation comes.
When animals have an accident, the battle command comes.
With my best Regards to you and all
Venus
On July 6th, a truck transport with 150 pigs has also been tipped over. That was in northern Germany and the truck was on the way to the slaughterhouse, near Bremen.
Half of the animals died or were euthanized by veterinarians.
Posted on July 6, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
UPDATE 7/7/17 – Donald Tusk now speaks weasel words also.
Donald Tusk at the G20 meeting in Germany today
“words are easy but its actions that matter”
Mr ‘action that matters’ – Donald Tusk
Very true Mr Tusk – you speak fine words about live animals shipped to Turkey being covered by Regulation 1/2005; but the reality is that you never enforce the rules. You Mr Tusk, along with Junker, never actually take the actions that matter
Maybe that is why there are a lot of pissed off Europeans giving you and other idiots lots of trouble in Germany today !
Photo – EoA Netherlands
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Please have a look at the following video and then read the comments from Venus.
The EU Parliament – elected by the people of Europe through the democratic process of elections. The EU Commission, headed by Junker – the real decision making chamber of the EU though its un elected Commissioners – a non democratic process
Take live animal transport for example; the Parliament can vote and say that journey times must be reduced; but it is just one Commissioner who says there is no need and so nothing changes. Over 700 MEPs can want for change, but if just one Commissioner opposes this view, then things remain unchanged as he wants. Junker, the un elected ‘master’ of the Commission; the man who holds the keys to change but only on policy that he wants to change. When it comes to animal welfare this is why we see no real change – Junker is not interested and so AW is thrown into the bin.
Junker – the almighty god of the EU Commission
If only the same could be done with un elected Junker
The UK is getting out of the EU (Brexit) because of these very such operating principles which give the people of the EU no real voice to change things. UK / EU Brexit negotiations are currently under way for the UK to hopefully leave as a member within the next few years.
What are the other nations of Europe doing about the un elects running the show ? – well not a lot really. They continue to sit under the control of un elected Commissioners headed by Junker; and like little mice, they continue to pay in their fees and do everything that the Commission demands of them. One day when other EU nations have some guts, they will join up with the UK and send a clear message to Brussels that it is the few who are dictating to the very many citizens of the EU.
“Mr President, you can criticize the parliament, but it is not up to the commission to control the parliament, it’s up to the parliament to control the commission,” Tajani said.
EU unsure – how nations feel about the ‘master’ EU
Dear Mark,
I sent you a very “pretty” Video from EU-Parmanent, which documents a meeting of the EU Parliament.
Home artist: Junker !!
I accompany this video with the following comment:
I agree with the President of the European Parliament, Tatjani, that Parliament controls the Commission and not the Commission the EU Parliament.
In addition, Juncker should note that the EU Parliament was elected by the EU citizen, but the Commission was not, so the Juncker himself was not elected by the people of Europe.
And before Juncker starts the sharp criticism against the EU Parliament, he should try to bring his stables, the (his) EU Commission, under control.
It is at least (and also) ridiculous, that an idle bunch of well-paid and nothing-doing servants of Merkel will do nothing against the suffering of millions of animals in the EU.
I find this not only ridiculous, I find it abominable and against any form of work ethic.
What does the Commission do ? – Allegedly they claim to:
Enforces EU law
·Together with the Court of Justice, ensures that EU law is properly applied in all the member countries.
We think they must have missed the boat when it comes to enforcing EU animal transport legislation as defined in 1/2005 and as shown in the following videos. This just proves that despite its ‘enforcement’ weasel words, the Commission actually does NOTHING to enforce EU law.
The Commission is a joke, as is Junker.
Watch the videos in the following links to see just how ineffective Junker and his Commissioner gods are at allegedly enforcing EU law:
Warning – the following links contain video links to very disturbing animal abuse during transport:
Please do not tell me that people like Junker are ‘important’; he is ineffective and an utter tosser as the lack of enforcement of EU regulations above show.
Posted on July 1, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
We have some great news from Shelter Felix.
See our recent post below – do you remember that everyone was informed that Argos had lost his sight and was completely blind ? – well there is some great news – the large hematoma behind his left eye has greatly reduced in size and as a result he has his left eye vision returned ! – that is wonderful news – he can see !
Argos is still under treatment, he’s being given injections at the vet’s every day while two different kinds of eye drops are being used locally. The vet is very satisfied with the kitten’s recovery, as a huge hematoma behind his eyes has reduced in size, his left eye’s totally cleared up now and his broken jaw is healing nicely. Unfortunately, his right eye is lost forever.
Please go to the following for other ways to donate:
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 