Abstract
Malaysia is a known source and consumer of bear bile products in Asia, and sun bears are persistently poached to meet the demand for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Surveys of TCM outlets in the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak were conducted in 2018 and 2019 as part of continuing efforts to monitor the availability of bear bile products in the country. Despite being illegal, the trade in bears and their parts persists, although with fewer TCM outlets offering such products in comparison to numbers reported in previous studies. In 2012, 42% of TCM outlets in Sabah and 35.4% in Sarawak were found to contain bear bile products. This has since dropped to 35% in Sabah and 19.3% in Sarawak in 2018-2019. Gall bladders were the main type of commodity for sale in both states, and were reportedly sourced predominantly by indigenous people. It was evident that most retailers surveyed were aware that the trade in bears and their parts was strictly prohibited, and some traders claim to have stopped selling illegal bear products for this reason. However, some traders who continue to trade in these illegal commodities have become more discreet. These factors contribute to the reduction in TCM outlets observed selling bear bile products. This reduction may also be due to diminishing sun bear populations, as some traders have claimed to have stopped selling bear bile products because of the rarity of or difficulty in procuring genuine bear gall bladders. The threat of illegal trade, combined with loss and degradation of suitable habitat and food resources as well as conflict with humans, puts sun bears at considerable risk. Efforts to mitigate these threats are urgently needed. Reduction of demand for bear parts is essential, as is stronger legal protection, enhanced enforcement and increased community involvement in bear conservation actions to ensure the long-term survival of viable bear populations in Asia.
Highlights
8 species of bears exist across Asia, Europe, North America and South America
Bear parts and derivatives were recorded for sale in 25% of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) outlets surveyed but in more than half of the locations visited (54.2%)
The main type of bear product observed for sale in both Sabah and Sarawak was gall bladder, with a minimum of 79 whole gall bladders recorded in 25 TCM outlets in both states combined
Summary
8 species of bears exist across Asia, Europe, North America and South America. While the for the exotic pet trade This demand has fueled status of sun bear populations is largely unknown, the establishment of bear farms in some parts of Asia; they are generally considered to be more abundant these farms arguably have no conservation benefit as or common in the southern regions of their range most of these facilities continuously rely on wild- (e.g. Indonesia and Malaysia), rare in the other caught bears that are captured throughout the regions (e.g. Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, region, and due to consumer preference for bile ex- Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam), and extinct in tracted from wild-caught animals (Livingstone & Singapore and possibly China (Scotson et al 2017).
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