Asiatic black bear pictures and facts

The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) (or Moon bear, Tibetan black bear or the Himalayan black bear) can be found in moist forests and brushland in countries ranging from Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Afghanistan, India, China and Japan. It is omnivorous and its diet consists of fruits, berries, etc., honey and meat (fish, birds, and small mammals). It is a little bit more carnivorous than its American cousin, the American black bear, and it is less strong than the brown bear. It is threatened by deforestation and habitat loss. Until the 1980's the Asiatic black bears were also hunted in the wild for their gall bladders which are used in Chinese medicine. Since China outlawed the poaching of the bears, the gall bladders are supplied by special farms in China which provide bile by caging and restraining the bears while catheters are inserted in their gall bladders allow bile to drip into a container. Recently, European parlement passed a resolution to put pressure on China to ban these farms, because of the inhumane and cruel handling of these animals. It can be argued that without these farms the supply for bear bile would not meet demand, causing more illegal poaching of the already endangered bears. Synthetic bile may be the solution?