HANOI -- The Vietnamese government has agreed on a plan which will close all of the country's bear bile farms over the next five years, animal rights group Animal Asia said Thursday. Around 1,000 bears, whose bile is used in traditional medicine, are believed to be in captivity in the country. Bear bile is used in traditional Vietnamese and Chinese medicine to treat liver and gallbladder conditions, although a synthetic version of the active ingredient is commercially available at pharmacies worldwide. Bear bile farming reached its peak in Vietnam in 2005, with over 4,000 bears in captivity. Since it became common practice in China and Vietnam in the 1980s wild populations have been decimated, according to Animal Asia.

Source: The China Post July 21, 2017 00:22 UTC