Help Save the Moon Bear!

The moon bear can also be called the Asian black bear, Tibetan black bear or Himalayan black bear.

The reason for it’s nickname is that it is a black bear with a cream or white colored “V” on it’s chest in the shape of a crescent moon facing up.

They are a medium sized bear and a close relative to the American black bear.

Adult females are typically half the size of the adult male, the latter weighing in at 220-480 lbs. Their lifespan is about 25 years.

They inhabit high elevations and lowlands alike, often sharing habitat with the larger and stronger brown bear, and the giant panda.

Although this bear is considered to be carnivorous, meat is only a very small part of it’s diverse diet of nuts, berries, grasses, fruit and other plants. They are actually omnivorous animals that eat both meat and plant-life alike.

This particular bear has been known to be quite aggressive towards humans with documentation of attacks and deaths, but although they have very few enemies in nature, the Siberian tiger has been known to target them as prey.

Conservation Status:
The moon bear is currently listed a vulnerable species. Deforestation and loss of habitat is the main aggressors in the endangerment of the moon bear.

However, the moon bear is also known as the “bile bear”, where they are held in captivity so that their bile can be extracted over and over again and sold as traditional Chinese medicine in Vietnam and China. It’s terribly painful for the bear and a terrible existence for them, as they can live up to 25 years and be kept in a cage where they can’t even move to acquire the bile. Terrible!!!

Methods of Extracting Bile: (as taken from Wikipedia.com)

“Latex catheter
In a crude surgical procedure, a latex catheter is implanted into the bear’s abdominal wall and gall bladder, where the bile is stored. This method allows 10 and 20 ml of bile to be tapped from each bear twice daily, but is liable to clogging.

Metal jacket
A rubber catheter drains the bile into a fluid bag attached to the bear via a metal jacket. At up to 10kg in weight, this crude device is locked in place for years at a time, leading to infection, hairloss and painful irritation for the bear.

Metal catheter
Similar to the latex catheter method, the bears are forced to lie flat on the bottom of cage for more effective ‘milking’. Often a metal ‘crush’ forces the bears to remain in the flat position permanently, in some cases for years at a time.

Free Drip
A supposedly more humane method, instead of a catheter, a permanent hole or fistula is punched in the bear’s abdomen and gall bladder, from which bile can freely drip out. This open wound is, unsurprisingly, highly liable to infection.”

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species: U. thibetanus

* Please sign this petition to end the tortuous captivity of these bears for the harvesting of their bile by going here: Online petition – BEAR FARMS IN KOREA – Save Bears!

***

I hope you enjoyed this Bear post on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Are you a moon bear lover? If so, check out this fabulous book for ages K-12:

Search for the Golden Moon Bear (Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (Awards)) Join Sy Montgomery as she travels far and wide in search of the golden moon bear. Along with her research companions, she delves deep into the jungles of the Elephant Mountains, visits the bustling streets of Cambodian cities, explores remote villages, and attends a Club Med for bears in Thailand, all while carrying marshmallows and tweezers for her encounters with the bears along the way. The quest for the golden moon bear takes us on an exhilarating journey and chronicles the detective work and science behind tracking a new species in a different part of the world, where bears are kept as pets and where sometimes things aren’t quite what they seem… $3.48

Technorati Tags: moon bear, Asian black bear, Tibetan black bear, Himalayan black bear, bears, bear, mammals, Asian animals

Similar Posts:

• Please Stand Up To Save Sun Bears!
• Polar Bears Have Black Skin
• A Simple Way To Save Polar Bears? You Decide!
• Polar Bears Mostly Extinct by 2050
• Giant Pandas – Giant Cute

Yup, that's right! I have always wanted to start an animal refuge of my own...If you would like to help me start my animal refuge, please Click Here! Live Exotically!

Popularity: 5% [?]