Guest guest Posted June 2, 2004 Report Share Posted June 2, 2004 Fortunately, for those of you who did NOT see the ABC TV Coverage of the undercover work done in Chinatown by Anthony Marr, in which he found and purchased Chinese Medicinals with tiger bone and bear parts in them...here is the transcript... May 25 — You may have seen stories here on ABC7 aboutthe illegal trade in exotic animal parts, such asrhino horn, tiger bone, or elephant tusk. But now, theI-Team uncovers the bizarre practice known as "bearfarming." Dan Noyes has this exclusive report. Pictures of the bear farms in China are disturbing,but we won't show you the worst of it. Products fromthose farms are on sale here in the Bay Area, and thedemand is causing a surge in bear poaching in ourstate parks. We took our hidden cameras to San Francisco'sChinatown, and with the help of Canadian author andanimal activist, Anthony Marr, bought illegal bearproducts -- pills and shavings from a bear's gallbladder. Anthony Marr (reading ingredients): "So, theingredients list includes 'fael ersee' which is gallbladder." Marr has seen the products for sale across thecountry, as he promotes a book about the use ofendangered animals for traditional Asian medicines. Marr: "This is my culture, too. I'm also a Chineseperson, but I think that cultures should evolve alongwith the times. All of the bear species in Asia aredriven to the point of extinction, they're allconsidered to be endangered." The bear pills and shavings are sold as a cure-all andfor arthritis or liver problems. To meet the demand,bear farms have sprung up across China. Right now, 7,000 bears are being kept in tiny cagestheir entire lives -- they never get out. They undergoa painful procedure in which the bile from their gallbladder is extracted with a catheter - or, it justconstantly drips from an open wound into a bowl. Jill Robinson: "Maybe in 50 years time, we're gonnalook back in this industry with complete shame. It'salmost a practice that belongs in medieval times." But the farms can't meet the world-wide demand forbear bile and gall bladders. They're more expensivethan cocaine on the black market. A single gallbladder can cost as much as $10,000. With so much money at stake, California game wardensare seeing a surge in bear poaching. Last year inBakersfield, eight men were caught and convicted forpoaching -- the bear parts went to market in SanFrancisco and Asia. One of the men bragged toinvestigators, he alone killed 87 bears that year. Butarrests like this are rare. Jerry Karnow, Fish and Game: "Those folks are gettingsmarter and we have fewer officers so that combinationis making it tough." Jerry Karnow is the only Fish and Game warden assignedto Yuba County. He has the impossible task of covering1200 square miles a day, by himself. By the time hegot to this crime scene in Plumas National Forest, thepoachers were long gone. Karnow: "This is an actual noose and that's still bearhair." Poachers killed this bear, took the gall bladder andleft everything else behind. Karnow: "When I see that activity, you know, I don'tlike it." There are also problems at the Fish and Game crime labin Sacramento. It's critical to building a caseagainst poachers, but the lab is so underfunded thatthe scientists have a case backlog of three to fourmonths. Jim Banks: "We too have our finger in the dike andwe're just holding, hoping that year after year maybesomething is going to change." There's one bright spot in all this -- activists aremaking some progress in China. The government hasfinally admitted the bear farms should be shut down --they've signed an agreement. The process will takeyears, but refugees from the bear farms are alreadyfilling sanctuaries. Robinson: "It just breaks our hearts because the bearshave never, never had a life. They've never known whatit is to live life like a bear... They are aremarkably intelligent and forgiving animal and we'rejust so proud to be working with them." In some cases, bear bile medicines have been proven towork, but you have no guarantee what you're buying isthe real thing. And, there are synthetic versions thatare widely available and just as potent. There's atremendous cultural barrier to overcome. To learn more about 'bear farming' visit,http://www.animalsasia.org/. Paris Harvey Bite Back Vegan Society 925 788 8296 (PST) Join bitebackvegan for updates, calendars, articles If you love animals...check this out...http://tinyurl.com/2xkmc Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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