A bear bile farm is a facility where live bears are kept in captivity so that bile fluid can be repeatedly extracted from their gallbladders. The practice began in China in the 1980s as an alternative to killing wild bears for their gallbladders, which had been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. At its peak, China alone held over 7,000 bears on these farms, housed in small cages designed to keep them immobile enough for regular bile collection.
Why Bear Bile Is Valued
Bear bile contains high concentrations of a compound called ursodeoxycholic acid, or UDCA. In bears, UDCA can make up as much as 60% of the total bile acid pool during hibernation. Humans produce the same substance naturally, but it accounts for only about 5% of our bile acids. That concentration difference is what made bear bile attractive to traditional medicine practitioners.
For centuries, practitioners in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan have prescribed bear bile extracts for inflammation, fever, jaundice, liver conditions, and digestive problems. In Western medicine, a manufactured version of UDCA has been used for decades to treat certain liver diseases. The compound is both protective to cells and anti-inflammatory, which explains its broad historical use.
How Bile Is Extracted
The standard extraction method is called the “free-dripping fistula technique.” A surgeon creates a permanent opening, or fistula, through the bear’s abdomen into the gallbladder. An unsterile latex or stainless steel catheter is inserted through that opening, and bile drains out daily, either by gravity into a collection tray or by suction with a syringe. The procedure is performed without proper sterile conditions, and the catheter remains implanted long-term.
Bears typically undergo this extraction every day for years. The small cages they’re kept in, sometimes called “crush cages,” restrict movement enough that handlers can access the catheter site without sedation. Some bears spend the majority of their lives in cages barely larger than their own bodies.
What It Does to the Bears
The health consequences are severe and universal. A study of rescued bears found that every single animal suffered from chronic inflammation of the gallbladder and surrounding liver tissue. More than half had active bacterial infections in their gallbladders, with common gut bacteria like E. coli and Enterococcus colonizing the bile. These infections develop because the permanent fistula creates a direct pathway from the outside environment into the bear’s internal organs.
Beyond gallbladder disease, rescued bears show damage across multiple body systems. Researchers studying formerly farmed bears have described them as models of “accelerated aging,” with health profiles far worse than what their actual age would predict. Gallbladder walls thicken, adhesions form between organs, and sediment and gallstones accumulate. Many bears also develop behavioral abnormalities consistent with chronic stress and confinement, including repetitive swaying and self-harm.
Which Bears Are Farmed
The two species historically used are Asiatic black bears (often called moon bears for the crescent-shaped patch on their chests) and Tibetan brown bears. Moon bears are the primary species on farms today. They are listed as vulnerable, and the farming industry has long been criticized for creating market demand that incentivizes the capture of wild cubs to restock facilities, despite claims that farming would reduce pressure on wild populations.
Where Bile Farming Still Operates
China remains the largest operator of bear bile farms. Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar have also hosted facilities, though enforcement and closures have increased in recent years. South Korea ran bear bile farms for decades, but in a landmark move, the country banned the ownership, breeding, and trade of bears and bear parts effective January 1, 2026. Violators face fines and criminal penalties, with a six-month grace period to transition bears off remaining farms. Animal welfare organizations have pointed to the Korean ban as a potential model for the rest of the region.
Laos saw its first bile farm closure when government officials and the conservation charity Free the Bears shut down a facility in the capital, Vientiane, liberating three moon bears from small cages. Those bears were transferred to a wildlife sanctuary in Luang Prabang, where they joined over 135 other rescued bears. Rescued bears require lifelong care that can last up to 35 years.
Synthetic Alternatives Exist
The active compound in bear bile, UDCA, was first synthesized in the 1950s and has been manufactured at scale ever since. The synthetic version is chemically identical and is already widely used as a pharmaceutical drug and dietary supplement in both Asian and Western countries. A related compound called TUDCA, which is the specific bile acid most abundant in bear bile, has also been synthesized and is available commercially.
Plant-based alternatives have shown promise as well. A Chinese herb called Coptis, known as “Huanglian” in Chinese medicine, contains a compound called berberine that has been studied extensively for liver diseases. In laboratory comparisons, berberine actually outperformed bear bile at treating liver fibrosis under the same experimental conditions. Researchers have concluded that synthetic UDCA and plant-derived compounds like berberine can rationally replace bear bile for the treatment of liver diseases, making the farming practice medically unnecessary.
Rescue and Rehabilitation
Organizations like Free the Bears, founded by Australian conservationist Dr. Mary Hutton, have helped rescue over 1,000 bears from bile farms and other captive situations across Southeast Asia. Rehabilitation is a slow process. Bears arrive with chronic infections, organ damage, and deep behavioral trauma. Many need surgery to repair or remove damaged gallbladders. Sanctuaries provide veterinary care, outdoor enclosures, and enrichment activities designed to help bears gradually redevelop natural behaviors like foraging and climbing.
The reality is that most rescued bears can never be released into the wild. Years of confinement leave them physically compromised and unable to survive independently. Sanctuaries commit to decades of care for each animal, which is why the closure of farms, while celebrated, also creates an enormous long-term financial and logistical burden for the organizations that take the bears in.