Green Options

Animals Asia Foundation rescued thirteen black bears from government-approved stomach bile farms in southwest China today.

The bears had holes punched in their stomachs to allow bile to drip out for traditional Chinense medicinal use. The bears were found in poor condition suffering with anything from blindness to cancers.

Bear bile farms, however, are typically legal in China.

Approximately 15,000 species of plants used in traditional medicine are at risk of dying out because of pollution, habitat depletion and over-harvesting. Millions of people may lose their medicine for a host of dangerous and even deadly diseases.

Plants like these are the primary source of health care for the majority of the world, being used to treat everything from fevers to symptoms of AIDS. Their depletion is leading to a loss in traditional knowledge as well as the essential plants themselves. Some doctors believe that traditional medicine may the key to helping us find breakthroughs in fighting diseases such as cancer.