Photo Courtesy of WWF

  email:  rebeccaxie@actcm.edu

 
PROTECTING BEARS

IN THE WILD

There are eight species of bear: sun bear, American black bear, brown bear, polar bear, spectacled bear, giant panda, sloth bear, and Asiatic black bear. Six species are likely in decline while two are probably stable, the polar bear and American black bear. Information on the status of species and their habitats is fragmentary, at best, over much of the world.

Bear conservation efforts vary from the intensive and highly organized management of the grizzly and black bear in the United States to little management of most Asian species.

BEARS AS MEDICINE

Medical applications for bear gall bladder include treatment of life-threatening cancers, burns, pain and redness of the eyes, asthma, sinusitis and pain in general. Bear gall bladder is also used to treat serious liver ailments and as a tonic to prevent liver damage from over-consumption of alcohol.

SOLUTIONS

The elimination of bears from 50-75% of their historic global range has already occurred and the remaining range will decrease unless serious efforts are focused on bear conservation. Bear conservation is at a relatively primitive stage in  Asia. Acquiring basic ecological and geographic information must first happen in order to successfully devise a conservation strategy. 

Implementation of conservation efforts requires effective government commitments, implementation of organized management programs, and incorporating the needs of the local people to engage their involvement with bear conservation work. Many public awareness and education strategies must be implemented to strengthen bear conservation efforts. Strategies and tools must be designed  for custom officials and lab workers particularly those that work in bear consuming countries and nearby regions to identify bear parts and by-parts that are used for several rememdies.