On this farm in Dangjin, South Korea, tons of of bears dwell in these cages for 10 years till they're slaughtered for his or her bile. Circumstances for bears was far worse. Elise Hu/NPR cover caption
On this farm in Dangjin, South Korea, tons of of bears dwell in these cages for 10 years till they're slaughtered for his or her bile. Circumstances for bears was far worse.
Elise Hu/NPRWhen South Korea's mountain city of PyeongChang hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Video games subsequent yr, a white tiger and a black bear, respectively, will function mascots. They have been launched as cuddly icons of Korean historical past and folklore.
"They're so cute and lovable, so I am positive that you simply're gonna fall in love with them," Korea's determine skating champ and former Olympian Yuna Kim stated, in asserting the PyeongChang 2018 mascots in a promotional video.
The "lovable" Asiatic black bear is best recognized regionally as a moon bear, for the distinctive white crescent on its chest. It is native to Korea and a logo of the province the place the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Video games might be held.
"It is a very distinctive and symbolic creature in Korea," says Anna Jihyun You, a spokeswoman for the Olympics right here.
"I can not say ... how far [these bears] return [in folklore] however it's actually since a very long time in the past," she says.
However that place in historical past and lore hasn't spared the precise bear breed itself from cruelty. An hour's drive south of Seoul, you will discover a bear-bile farm, one in all 39 sprinkled throughout the nation. Right here, farmer Kim Kwang-su retains 230 moon bears in rusty cages.
The Asiatic black bear is now an endangered species, after being captured within the wild and farmed for its bile. Elise Hu/NPR cover caption
The Asiatic black bear is now an endangered species, after being captured within the wild and farmed for its bile.
Elise Hu/NPRHe breeds them and cages them for the authorized minimal of 10 years. Then they're slaughtered for his or her gall bladders. In East Asia, bear bile is believed to resolve a number of well being issues — from hangovers to coronary heart illness. The bears are by no means let loose.
"It is true we do not have play services for the bears," Kim says. "However in South Korea proper now, most of these bears are saved in cages."
A century in the past that wasn't true. Moon bears roamed freely within the mountains of Korea. However bear bile turned such a sought-after conventional drugs that as we speak, the bears have been captured and farmed to close extinction.
"The way in which that these bears are farmed is especially merciless," says Jill Robinson, a veterinarian and founder and CEO of Animals Asia basis. Her group has been working, together with different nonprofits, to attempt to finish the apply of bear-bile farming in China, Vietnam and South Korea.
"This is a matter that I form of found approach again in 1993 after I walked onto a bear-bile farm for the primary time in my life and was simply completely horrified by what I noticed," she says. "Cages and cages throughout me, with bears with probably the most depressing faces, with 6-inch catheters protruding from their abdomens. Their enamel in the reduction of, their paw suggestions in the reduction of in order that they could not harm the farmers as they have been extracting the bile."
Since then, South Korea has banned the apply of milking bears for bile whereas they're alive. However the animals are nonetheless residing in captivity till they're killed. The bear farmer — Kim — says he has come to benefit from the bears he retains. However he has no different livelihood.
"Solely by promoting the bile can I keep the enterprise," Kim says. "So it hurts, it hurts me. I do not even take a look at them after they're being slaughtered. I really feel actually unhappy. I imply, you are not a human being for those who're not unhappy about it."
That underlines the gulf between what's occurring to the precise Asiatic black bears and the cartoon-cute character of subsequent yr's Paralympic mascot. Whereas moon bear mascot "Bandabi" glides his approach down animated mountains in promo movies, the inspirations for Bandabi spend their days banging their heads towards their cages.
"I simply hope the Korean authorities does make that connection and at last offers its unbelievable species of bear the liberty they deserve," Robinson says.
Demand for bear bile has collapsed, which has led to the closure of many farms already. However almost 800 moon bears nonetheless dwell in caged limbo of their native nation.
Haeryun Kang contributed to this story.
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