Asiatic Black Bears (aka Himalayan, Moon Bear, Tibetan Black Bear)

Ranked #4,477 in Pets & Animals, #111,296 overall | Donates to Wildlife SOS

Find out all about these beautiful black bears here.

These bears by any name are near and dear to my heart. They are a beautiful bear and I have here facts, photos, videos and links to organizations with more info and groups saving these magnificent bears from harm. Thousands of them live un-BEAR-able lives in China and Korea due to bear farms. Their bile is coveted for traditional Chinese Medicine and it seems the cruel ways they use to get what they want is boundless. Please come back again to keep up with what is going on with these bears as we try to rid the world of them and save these bears. Thank you.

My Blog has been HACKED and is down temporarily so some photos are not loading on this site.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species: U. thibetanus

Binomial name
Ursus thibetanus
(G. Cuvier, 1823)


From Wikipedia

Facts About the Asiatic Black Bear

The Asiatic Black Bear is also known as the Tibetan black bear, the Himalayan black bear, or the moon bear.

The Asiatic Black Bear is distributed all the way from the east to west of the Asian continent. They are found in high elevations as well as in lower lands. Areas with forests of hilly and mountainous areas in: East Asia and South Asia, including South Korea, North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh northern India, Nepal, Sikkim (Indian state), Bhutan, Burma, southern Siberia in Russia, northeastern China, Taiwan and Japan.

They do share some areas with the brown bear, which is larger and stronger.

Features
They are black with a V-shaped white or cream colored marking on their chests.

Size
They are a medium-sized bear and are thought to be related to the American Black Bear. The males weigh between 240 to 480 pounds and the females between 110 to 275 pounds.

Diet
With its sharp-claws, the bear is able to climb trees to reach for fruit and nuts. In the habitat in China's Wolong Reserve, Asiatic Black Bears share habitat with Giant Pandas. Here, they feed occasionally on bamboo (the Panda's favorite food).

Asiatic Black Bear Photo Gallery

My favorite bear photos are by ucumari on Flickr. These are just a few. Click ucumari to see her complete bear set.

Loading
Important!

Conservation Status

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)


From Wikipedia

Chinese Harvesting Bile From These Bears!

Bear bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine. During the 1980s, North Korea developed the inhumane method of bile tapping from Asiatic Black Bears through catheters. China quickly followed.

By the early 1990s the number of captive bears hit 10,000 in 480 bear farms! Bear bile prices had rocketed but with the advent of synthetic bear bile and greater awareness of this barbaric and inhumane method of harvesting, the price has plunged.

AAF founder Jill Robinson visits China
In 1993 Jill Robinson visited China's Sichuan province and found bears incarcerated in tiny cages in bear bile farms. The bears had been there since they were cubs. Here's what she found:

1. Due to surgically implanted catheters, the bears were lying stomach down in cages -- barely high enough for them to raise their heads.

2. The bears spent their waking hours biting the iron grills or banging their heads against them.

3. Bile being extracted twice a day, 50 milliliters each time.

Jill told Reuters in an interview,

"It's a lifetime of confinement and pain, one had lived like that for 21 years."


Bear on farm caged for 20 years

For more info and pictues, click Animals Asia

Help Stop Bear Farming

There are Chinese "Bear Farms" where every day thousands of physically mutilated bears are milked for their bile. Bile is an ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) states...

"There are now officially 247 bear farms across China, housing an estimated total of 7,002 bears".

"During bile milking; the bears show signs of severe distress. Moaning and banging of heads against the cage is common, while some bears were seen to chew their own paws".

"Between the ages of five and ten, bears may stop producing bile. They are then put in another cage, where they wait, either until death comes through sickness or starvation, or they are killed for their paws and gall bladders".

Please add your voice against this barbaric and inhuman act in support of a petition to end this horrendous practice. You can sign the petition at ...


Stop Bear Farming Petition

Videos Of Bear Farming

Don't Turn A Blind Eye On This Barbaric Act

I know that these may be hard to watch, but please look at least at 1 video so you will see with your eyes what bear farming is and know in your heart that what is being done to these bears is horribly wrong!

Loading

Great Stuff on CafePress

Bear Stuff on CafePress

Although I couldn't find any Asiatic-black-bear, Himalayan, Tibetan or Moon bear stuff, here are some bear items that you might like.

Remember 100% of the money earned on this Squidoo lens is donated to Wildlife S.O.S.
Loading

Great Bear Himalyan Bear Stuff on Amazon

Loading

Asiatic Black Bear videos

Loading

Asiatic Black Bear Informational links

Free the Bears: Asiatic Black Bear
The aim of Free the Bears fund is to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears throughout the world.
Ursa Freedom Project - global action campaign to liberate 9,000 bears from bile farms
The Ursa Freedom Project commits to liberate 9,000 bears from bile farms in China/Viet Nam and to end a practice that is commercially unnecessary.

Asiatic Black Bears In The News

A baby bear rescued 38 days after the earthquake -- china.org.cn
A baby bear rescued 38 days after the earthquakeAdjust font size: In Chengdu Zoo, a two-to-three-month-old baby bear is hanging on a 2-meter steel fence, miserable. Every...
A complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Asian black bear Sichuan subspecies (Ursus thibetanus mupinensis)
Mitochondria are vital subcellular organelles, responsible for the oxidizing reaction of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the electron transfer and the energy metabolism in cells and have an independent genetic material called the mitochondria genome (mtDNA).
19 bears on the road to Animals Asia's Vietnam sanctuary
I'm thrilled to be able to bring you the exciting news that yesterday morning we rescued 19 moon bears that have been held in appalling conditions on a farm in Binh D

Jill Robinson's Blog From Animals Asia (AAF)

My Blog has been HACKED and is down temporarily.

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

New Zazzle

Loading

Some Of My Other Bear Lenses

Loading

Save Our Bears (SOB) Headquarters

Member of Save Our Bears Headquarters -- a group of lenses devoted to help change the plight all of the 8 bear species through awareness and fund raising.

The lenses show the wonderful nature of bears and many will, at the same time, shine a spotlight on the dangers bears face including: trophy hunters, gall bladder and bile farming, pollution, bear baiting, global warming, and habitat destruction.

You'll also find fun lenses on great polar bear movies, books, teddy bears, even cartoon and toy bears.

Click Save Our Bears (SOB) to go to the Headquarters page.

Please donate if you can - even $1 helps

Wildlife SOS was created by a group of committed individuals who believe that it is not too late to help and save wildlife. Wildlife SOS believes that rapid action needs to be taken by every individual in this lifetime to make a change that will conserve

Guest Book For Your Feedback

Please use this guest book to let me know if something is missing or could be done better. I can't bear to disappoint you!

Bear hugs, Frankie

submit

What else is Frankster up to?

Loading

by

Frankster

I'm Frankster, aka Bearmeister aka Cat-Woman
I am a property manager, sculptor, animal and nature lover. I founded and run FIV Cat Rescue to save cats...
more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Perfect to add to a collection or to start one.  

BEAR (BLACK ASIATIC) by Noah's Pals

Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Moon Bears oh my! 

Moon Bear

Amazon Price: $3.89 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

You won't be able to put this book down I promise! 

Smiling Bears: A Zookeeper Explores the Behaviour and Emotional Life of Bears

Amazon Price: $15.97 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now