China: Stop Torturing Bears for Useless Medicine!
- par: Chris Wolverton
- destinataire: Hu Jintao, People's Republic of China President
Superstitious medical traditions in China advocate the use of bear bile to treat ailments such as fevers and bad vision. The bears used in the treatment are kept in battery cages while bile is painfully extracted from their livers on a continuing basis.
The tortured bears moan and bang their heads against their cages as a result of the physical pain and frustration they must endure. One report, recounted in a National Geographic interview, describes a bile farmed mother bear escaping, killing her cub and then running into a wall to commit suicide.
Up to 10,000 bears per year are killed for their bile in China. Bear bile is not proven to be effective for any of the ailments it is used for, and there is absolutely no reason for this slow, painful form of animal torture to continue. Please sign the petition to convince Hu Jintao to create legislation to end this horrible practice.
To: Hu Jintao, People's Republic of China President
We, the undersigned, are writing to express our concern with China's use of bear bile to treat ailments such as fevers and bad vision. The process of extracting bile is extremely painful for the bears, and they constantly moan and bang their heads against their small cages. One disturbing account reports that a bile farmed mother bear escaped, killed her cub, and then killed herself.
We understand that up to 10,000 bears per year are killed for their bile in China. The use of bear bile is superstitious, as it is not proven to be effective for any of the ailments it is used for. There is absolutely no reason for this slow, painful form of animal torture to continue; if the large bear population is a problem, please encourage the Chinese people to choose a different way to control the bears without using torture. We urge you to create legislation to end this horrible and cruel practice. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
