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Asiatic
Black Bear (Wroclaw Zoo)
Photo
credit: Gurerin Nicolas
According to Hindu mythology, Jambavantha
was a black bear and assistant to Rama in
finding Sita his wife. The Black bear is
also associated with the mountain spirit
‘mountain man’ or ‘mountain uncle’ in
Japanese folklore.
The Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus
is also known as the white-chested bear
or, more commonly, as the moon bear. They
are listed on the International Union for
the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List
as Vulnerable and on the Convention
on the Trade of Endangered Species (CITES)
Appendix I, which prohibits all commercial
trade of species listed. There are seven
described sub-species of Asiatic black bear
(see Table 1).
Asiatic Black Bear Sub-species (Table 1.)
|
Sub-species |
Distribution |
|
Ursus thibetanus formosanus |
Taiwan |
|
Ursus thibetanus gerosianus |
Baluchistan |
|
Ursus thibetanus japonicas |
Japan |
|
Ursus thibetanus laniger |
Himalayas, Kashmir |
|
Ursus thibetanus mupinensis |
Indochina, Himalayas |
|
Ursus thibetanus thibetanus |
Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Assam |
|
Ursus thibetanus ussuricus |
Siberia, Korea, Northeastern
China |
This species occupies a fragmented range in
Southern Asia, Russian-far East,
Northeastern China, Korea and Japan. Asiatic
black bears are primarily found in forests
located in elevated mountainous areas. They
spend approximately half of their lives in
the trees.
These beautiful animals are most noted for
their white moon shaped chest marking. They
are also similar in size to American black
bears with adults reaching up to 7 feet in
body length and up to 113kg (250lbs.) in
weight. These animals are omnivorous
and eat a variety of fruits, insects and
larvae, small mammals, herbs, fungi, eggs,
woody plants and bees’ nests.
Unfortunately, human induced disturbances
have caused an ever dwindling population
decline that poses serious threats to the
existence of Asiatic black bears in the near
future. These threats include: habitat loss,
hunting, and most serious, the coveted use
of bear bile in traditional medicines.
The first recorded use of bear bile was
found in the Materia Medica from the Tang
Dynasty in 659 A.D. The active ingredient in
bear bile is ursodeoxycholic acid (UCDA). Bear
bile is sold in various forms including:
pills, crystals, whole galls and liquid. UCDA
is used in traditional medicine to treat
various symptoms ranging from cough to
impotence.
In 1984 bear bile farming was legalized
under government sanction in China as a
purported ‘conservation measure’, however
there have been various accounts of bears
being harvested from the wild to stock bile
farms. In addition to the legal farms that
occur in China, illegal bear farming
operations can be found in Japan, Viet Nam,
Laos and Cambodia. Bear bile medicines are
found in traditional medicine outlets
throughout Southeast Asia (Myanmar,
Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore). Both the
selling of bear bile medicines and farming
of bears for bile is illegal according to
national law (with the omission of China)
and contravenes CITES, of which all the
above listed countries are signatories.
Legalized production and sales of bear bile
in China in addition to illegal production
and trade from Asia to the international
markets has caused bear bile to become a
commodity as it is frequently found in
non-traditional/ non-essential products
including: wine, tea, shampoo and soda
pop. Despite over 54 varieties of herbal
equivalents to bear bile in the Chinese
pharmacopoeia, the trade of bear bile
flourishes.
Asiatic black bears are Vulnerable
and it is of grave concern that the trade of
bear bile has surmounted to unsustainable
levels.
Take Action:
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Knowledge is our most powerful tool,
learn about the issues and spread the
word.
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If you use any traditional medicines, do
not use those that contain bear bile or
products containing protected wildlife.
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Opt for herbal animal-free medicinal
remedies.
*What does that mean?
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