Guest guest Posted September 17, 2007 Report Share Posted September 17, 2007 2007/09/17 - New Straits Times Test kit may save lives of bears By : Nisha Sabanayagam Thousands of bears like this one are reared in captivity in cruel conditions for the traditional medicine market. Bile is extracted daily from them to make medicines. KUALA LUMPUR: A simple test kit that costs a few ringgit could save the lives of thousands of bears reared in captivity in cruel conditions for the traditional medicine market. Similar to a pregnancy test, the bear detection kit can detect bear protein in less than 10 minutes. This way, enforcement officers can find out whether medicines contain bear products. The kit is being tested in Peninsular Malaysia by the Wildlife and National Parks Department in the hope of curbing the illegal trade in bear products. After Australia and Canada, Malaysia is the third country in the world to run these trials. The kit was introduced earlier this year at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in The Hague by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, an international animal welfare organisation. The kit detects the presence of bear albumin, a common protein found in many body tissues. The results are obtained after five minutes. Experts claim that more than 12,000 bears are kept in farms in China, Vietnam and South Korea, where they are reared in inhumane conditions. Many bears are wounded and scarred from rubbing or hitting themselves against the bars of their tiny metal cages, where they cannot stand up or easily turn around. Bile is regularly extracted from the bears, as often as twice a day. Bear bile is used for a range of conditions including muscular aches, fever and inflammation. A catheter is inserted into the bear's abdomen and attached to the gall bladder. Several centimetres of the tube is left sticking out of the abdomen. This is extremely painful and the risk of infection is high. Wildlife Department enforcement director Misliah Bashir said enforcement officers had been testing products sold in traditional medicine shops. The presence of bear albumin has been found in some medicines on sale. It is hoped that the results of the trials will pave the way for the amendment of the Wildlife Act to add bear products to the prohibited trade list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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