South West MEP pledges support to end animal cruelty

12.06.53pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 25th Nov 2005

A South West Euro-MP is calling for an end to one of the most cruel treatment of animals known to take place anywhere in the world.

In China as many as 9,000 'Moon bears' (so called because of the golden crescents across their chests) are kept in tiny cages, that prevent their movement, to be 'milked' for their bile using metal catheters inserted into the animal's gall bladder. The bile taken from the gall bladders of the living bears is used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of ailments including stomach and digestive disorders and kidney problems.

South West Liberal Democrat MEP Graham Watson is backing a call for the Chinese government to bring about a complete ban on bear bile farming. Pressure on the country's leaders to end the cruel practice is expected to grow in the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games to be held in China.

Mr Watson said:

"This is a truly barbaric practice. What the bears suffer is nothing less than torture and it must be brought to an end.

I have received a lot of correspondence from constituents who are rightly outraged by this practice. I was therefore very pleased to sign the written declaration last week in Strasbourg, adding my voice to the call to the Chinese Government to impose a countrywide ban on breeding bears on farms.

Though much of my campaigning is to oppose the torture and abuse of people in China, Liberal Democrats believe that humans have a responsibility to care appropriately for animals and are leading the charge in improving animal welfare at European level. I hope that another 366 MEPs will also sign the declaration, making it official European Union policy."

Half of the bears are said to die during or shortly after the insertion of the catheter. Those that survive suffer from tumours, infections from open wounds, abscesses and hernias. Life expectancy of the caged bears who endure a very painful life is 10 years, just a third of their natural life span in the wild.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) claim there is no need for bear bile as there are perfectly adequate synthetic alternatives which contain the active ingredient found in bile.

Trade in bear bile is highly profitable with customers paying as much as $20 per gram on the international market. Even conservative estimates say the annual production of bear bile from China alone is worth $100 million.

More information on bear bile farming can be found on the WSPA website - www.wspa.org.uk