27 moon bears rescued from illegal bile farm
A young moon bear rescued from the illegal bile farm, in the transport truck ready to journey to the sanctuary.
In a major wildlife rescue operation, international conservation organisation Free the Bears, in collaboration with Lao authorities, has rescued 27 moon bears (Asiatic black bears) from a foreign-owned illegal bear bile farm, operating under the guise of a zoo in Laos.
The facility had confined 27 young bears (1-3 years old), in tiny cages for bile extraction. The bears are believed to have been taken directly from the wild as cubs, their mothers likely killed in the process.
The rescue marks the largest ever bear farm rescue in Southeast Asia.
The facility was shut down by Lao authorities in a coordinated effort with Free the Bears, a powerful step forward in the country’s work to end illegal wildlife trading and protect bears.
Rescuers also uncovered enough infrastructure to eventually hold up to 200 bears, highlighting the industrial scale the criminal operation was planning to expand to, before authorities and Free the Bears intervened.
“What we found here was deeply confronting, not just because of the 27 bears already suffering inside these cages, but because of what this facility was clearly hoping to become,” said Matt Hunt, CEO of Free the Bears.
“The scale of expansion planned would have been catastrophic. By shutting this operation down now, we’ve been able to stop that from becoming a reality.”
Despite strengthened wildlife laws introduced in Laos in 2023, illegal wildlife trafficking and bear exploitation persists. Free the Bears works closely with government partners and law enforcement to help crack down on those attempting to evade new regulations and profit from the illegal wildlife trade.
“Stepping inside a bile farm is something that never leaves you. The smell, the filth, the rows of bears trapped in cages so small they can barely move – it’s horrific,” said Hunt.
“No animal should endure such cruelty, and we’re so glad we can now bring these 27 bears to the safety of our sanctuary where they can join more than 150 other bears rescued over the past 23 years.”
Bear bile farming is the painful extraction of bile from a live bears gallbladder for use in traditional medicine. Bears are often intentionally starved to produce more bile, deprived of food and water to make them more compliant when the bile is extracted in a variety of unhygienic ways, leading to infections, high incidence of cancers and early deaths. Additionally, they suffer from psychological trauma and a range of injuries such as infections, cracked teeth and paws, damaged joints, and muscle wastage.
While bile has historically been used in some traditional remedies, synthetic and plant-based alternatives are now widely available, so there is absolutely no need to farm bile from bears.
A rescue of this scale requires urgent expansion
With these additional 27 bears now in our care, Free the Bears will need to spend approximately $300,000 to expand sanctuary capacity – with an urgent need to purchase more land, build new enclosures, increase staffing, and scale up resources to meet the immediate needs of these bears.
Each of these bears will also require specialist, lifelong care. Having spent their formative years in cages, they are all unable to return to the wild.
Rescued bears can live for 30 years or more under professional welfare standards, and providing proper care, including nutritious food, daily enrichment, and expert veterinary treatment, can cost over USD $150,000 per bear across their lifetime.
“This rescue is an incredible milestone, but it also represents a long-term commitment to every one of these bears,” said Matt Hunt, CEO of Free the Bears.
“We’re ready to give them safe, healthy lives they deserve. But we really can’t do it alone.”
Free the Bears is calling on the community to support this urgent expansion and help ensure these bears receive the care and natural lives they have been denied for so long.
