According to most scientists and researchers, tool-use is the ability to manipulate an object in order to modify or alter the physical properties of a target object through a complex mechanical interaction (Deecke 725). Up until the 1960s, the use of tools was thought as being only a human skill, yet this notion was reversed when Jane Goodall revealed chimpanzees create tools for hunting and eating (Seed and Byrne R1032). The recent studies in the field of animal cognition and behavior, have discovered that a wide range of animals, like birds and fish, are capable of tool-use. In 2012, Volker Deecke, an expert in evolutionary and animal biology, added bears to the list of animals who use tools with his research study, “Tool-Use in the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos),” published by Animal Cognition. Deecke recounts that in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, he came across a wild North American brown bear who, after feeding on a humpback whale’s carcass, repeatedly picked up rocks in the water, and re-oriented them with both its forepaws to rub its neck and muzzle.
|
|
Based on the fact that bears usually rub against stationary objects and overturn rocks while searching for food, it can be deduced that this behavior most likely served to relieve irritated, itchy skin or to remove food-remains. As Deecke reports, “The stone-rubbing behaviour fulfills all commonly accepted criteria for animal tool-use: the bear used freely manipulable objects in a complex mechanical interaction (rubbing behaviour) to effect a physical change in a target object (in this case, the tool-user itself)” (727). This tool-use is characterized as an ability to plan complex sequence of actions to achieve a goal based on the conscious understanding of our bodies and surrounding objects (Seed and Byrne R1032-1033). Therefore, tool use of rubbing behaviour with a freely movable object like a rock, not only suggested higher cognitive faculties, but also provided evidence that bears are conscious beings.
|
Nevertheless, supporters of Chinese bear bile farms, justify the small cages on the ground that, “the construction of the kennels and cages should be based on the convenience of the workers in their daily operation” (Maas 16). As seen then the perception is that the accommodations of workers have to be met first over the victims of this industry. Moreover, across all the 44 farms inspected in Maas’s study, the caged-life held by bears lead to behavioural problems such as chronic stereotypies, aggressive behaviour, agitation, and nervousness. Specific stereotypies included body bobbing, self-hugging, and other repetitive rhythmic behaviours (Maas 26). While not all bears exhibited stereotypic behaviour, the small cages did cause for the remaining bears to be extremely inactive, showing the severe coping difficulties and stress.
|
Aside from the major consequences derived from being caged, the bile extraction methods or “milking,” is another problem of ethical concern. Extraction of a bear’s bile is typically done in the following ways: a catheter, usually a steel or rubber tube, is surgically implanted into the bear’s abdomen, where the bile is drained twice a day or through the “free drip” method in which a open hole in the bear’s abdomen is surgically created so bile freely drips out (Tsai). Veterinarians rarely perform any of these surgeries and as a result, roughly half of the bears die from infections or other complications (Maas 39). In human society, being treated by physicians, surgeons, or any other medical health professional, who lacks certification or experience is ethically wrong. Yet, for farmed bears the same principle seems to not be “applicable.” Maas also provides insight on how the regular bile removal exposes bears to a series of potentially stressful and hazardous experiences caused by confinement, handling and severe restraint, water deprivation, physical damage to internal tissues and infection, and physiological consequences (46). In fact, pathology reports have shown that bile from farmed bears is often contaminated with, blood, pus, faeces, urine, bacteria and cancer cells during extraction (Animals Asia). Unquestionably, Maas’s detailed report aids in exhibiting all the negative outcomes of bears being caged and constantly milked in Asian bile farms, only to satisfy the demand of people’s products. The truth is that farming bears to collect their bile is legal in Asian countries where the products are used, yet as the recent scientific research on bear cognition demonstrates, the fact that bears are intelligent and therefore conscious, clearly transforms bear bile farming ethically illegal.
|
|
First and foremost, if human attitudes and perceptions cause this continuing unethical exploitation of farmed bears, as Davi et al.'s study proves, then attitudes and perceptions should be changed to align with the scientific studies that indicate: bears are cognitively capable of feeling pain and bear bile lacks medicinal properties. In fact, after conducting two major baseline surveys in 2009 and 2011, examining public attitudes toward the use of bear bile, Education for Nature-Vietnam (hereafter ENV), Vietnam’s first non-governmental conservation organization, discovered that for an eventual end to the bear bile industry, major efforts should be focused on influencing public attitudes and behavior. As a result, ENV advocates for creative and innovative strategies aimed at reducing consumption and demand for bear bile, that include long-term and sustained awareness campaigns to inform of the cruel practice and dispel the perceived “magical values” of bear bile via national and local television and radio channels. The importance lies on the fact that the general public must understand that bear bile is not a universal cure for health problems as believed, and that humane alternatives, like synthetic compounds and herbal plants, exist. The effectiveness of this proposed solution is supported by a research survey conducted in Beijing, China, which found that respondents showed a fairly low willingness to use bear bile products even when they were considered “effective." This unwillingness was suggested to be related to their perception of the ethical arguments raised by the cruel bile extraction from living bears (Liu et al. 215). Notably, this study showed a growing conservation consciousness among those that had been exposed to campaigns against bear bile farming, to the extent that their attitude changed in regards to the consumption of bear bile. Undeniably, creating awareness movements targeted to influence public perceptions and attitudes, has the potential to trigger moral responsibilities that can help protect the threatened bears in Asia.
|
All of the already proposed solutions are achievable if there is initiative, cooperation and consensus. Now that you found out more about bear bile farming and its potential solutions, you can participate in the campaign movement to stop bears from being exploited for their bile by becoming an online volunteer. Why online? With the majority of the global community being constantly connected to social media, this communication medium proves to be an essential tool in bringing awareness to individuals. Many organizations like Animals Asia, that work towards the end of bear suffering in bile farms, do hands-on projects building bear rescue centers and influencing government and policy, yet they also do much of their advocacy through social media platforms like Twitter. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you share the consequences and solutions to bear bile farming because for every additional person who learns about this serious ethical issue, we are one step closer to ending the practice (Animals Asia). As an informed reader of the miseries these bears experience at farms, it is in your fingertips to share this information on social media outlets so as to expose and raise awareness about the severity of this problem to others. Furthermore, you can share articles like the 2016 research review article, “Substitutes for Bear Bile for the Treatment of Liver Diseases: Research Progress and Future Perspective,” which indicates that the last decade of research on the chemical composition and pharmacological effects of bear bile substitutions show these alternatives have better therapeutic effects than bear bile, in order to disqualify bear bile as a “cure-all medicine.” Additionally, you can encourage yourself and others to not use, purchase, or consume bear bile or any bear derived products.
|