For many decades, the Sun bear population has been hunted for their parts, especially their gall bladders. The bile (in chinese:熊胆 or Xiong dan) from their gall bladders are used in Chinese medicine and this practice has been in use for 2000 years. The bile is consumed to treat haemorrhoids, sore throats, sores, bruising, muscle ailments, sprains, epilepsy, and the ‘clear’ the liver’.
Bear farm. Source: Asian Correspondent
However, it is found that there is no medicinal value in the consumption of the bear bile, and scientists say that consuming the bear bile is the medicinal equivalent of consuming one’s fingernails. Despite this scientific backup and that there are actually more than 50 legal alternatives to treat those ailments stated before, people still use bear bile in medicine. The sun bears are captured into “bear farms” where they painfully extract the bile from the bears by inserting a permanent incision in the abdomen and gall bladder or by just removing the gall bladder as a whole. The bears are generally being ill-treated in the bear farm and are usually killed at about the age 0f 10 as their bile productivity has all dropped off
Raw bear bile in liquid and powered form. Source: Science-Based Medicine
The reason why that this is trading of bear bile and gall bladder is occurring is because of the profitability of the trade. It is known that the gall bladders can be sold much much more than the price of gold. Additionally, the bile is used in ordinary household products as well.
Source: renee brack
Apart from the trade of their gall bladder and bile, te sun bears’ paws are also being traded to make soup. This bear paw soup is known as a delicacy in Taiwan and Cambodia.