HONG KONG: BLACK BEARS & BEAR FARMING

English/Nat XFA The Hong Kong-based Animals Asia Foundation signed an unprecedented agreement with the Chinese authorities on Monday to release 5-hundred Asiatic Black Bears from primitive bear farms. Thousands of farmed bears suffer from chronic infection from having insanitary catheters inserted into their stomachs, to extract their bile for medicinal uses. The bears are kept in tiny cages with little room to move which clearly causes them distress. The deal represents an historic move that Chinese authorities are taking the lead to end the inhuman practice of farming bears for their bile in Asia. Under the terms of the new agreement, these bears, in Hong Kong, are some of those who will be released gradually into the wild. Years in captivity have taken their toll. Many of the bears have scars from the catheters inserted into their stomachs for their valuable bile. They are also forced to eat from trays set lower than their cages in order to let farmers extract the bile. And they are visibly tormented by their lack of freedom. No exercise means the bears' foot pads dry and crack. And their claws are just left to grow - often puncturing the pad tissue. This is the first time such a large bear rescue has taken place, although the release will probably be gradual to allow for the bears to be rehabilitated. Bear farming has had a long history in Asia as big business. High profits are reaped from the bile because of its reputation amongst believers in traditional Chinese medicine as a remedy for flagging sexual stamina. SOUNDBITE: (English) "But all of these medicine can be replaced with herbs. Herbal alternatives do the job just as efficiently and are much much cheaper to buy." SUPER CAPTION: Jill Robinson, Founder and CEO of the Animals Asia Foundation The Animals Asia Foundation (A-A-F) spent seven years working with animal welfare experts in Asia to have this agreement signed. The organisation also plans to expand the programme to other parts of China in about ten years. SOUNDBITE: (English) "There's one long term goal and that goal is to end bear farming in Asia. And China has made a very significant agreement that towards that goal." SUPER CAPTION: Jill Robinson, Founder and CEO of the Animals Asia Foundation Some of the bears were taken from the wild as cubs. Now, with this unprecedented agreement in the bag, the A-A-F China Bear Rescue can immediately begin the bear release in the Sichuan Province of central China, where the situation is the worst, even though it is hard and painful to imagine bears suffering more than these ones already are. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a861d8096a5942d3810565274db63d79 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork