Bear facts

There are eight species of bears including the Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, sun bear, and brown bear. They are widely distributed around the world.

Bears are omnivorous – meaning they eat basically everything – with an excellent sense of smell, even rivalling that of dogs.

Bears are highly intelligent animals. They can count, use tools, solve problems and communicate with a range of vocalisations and complex facial expressions. Bears are typically solitary animals except during mating season and mothers when nursing their young. Despite their size and heavy build, bears are good runners, climbers, and swimmers.

Over the winter, bears dig dens or use shelters such as caves and logs to go into a deep sleep during winter periods, referred to as “torpor”. Contrary to popular belief, bears are not true hibernators.

Asiatic black bear 

The Asiatic black bear, also called the Asian black bear, or moon bear, is a member of the black bear family. It’s found in the Himalayas, northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and parts of eastern Asia including northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

The Asiatic black bear has black fur, a light brown muzzle, and a distinct white patch on the chest, which is sometimes V-shaped.

Asiatic black bears are classed as “vulnerable” to extinction by the IUCN (Red List of Endangered Species); and as Appendix I under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).

Wild populations of Asiatic black bears have been declining by 30% over the last 30 years and are projected to decline by more than 30% over the next 30 years due to hunting and habitat loss.

European brown bear 

The brown bear is Europe’s largest terrestrial mammal. The total population for continental Europe is estimated at between 10,000 and 11,000 bears.

The species was once distributed across the whole of the European continent, but has long been extinct in most of western Europe and has recently become extinct in a number of other areas.

The European brown bear’s habitat is forest, however large tracts of forested areas are rapidly vanishing. Human settlement and centuries of hunting have already eliminated brown bear populations from 50-75% of their historic range, and continue to deplete remaining populations.

Action: Campaign

How we are helping protect bears from bile farming 

Together, with our supporters’ help, we can create lasting change to prevent the severe pain and psychological distress suffered by bears in the bear bile industry.

We are committed to ending the exploitation of bears in the bear bile industry, and to protect wild bears from a lifetime of suffering in captivity. Our work includes:

• Joining with partners, including governments, global bodies, local partners and individuals, to stop bears being exploited and to create lasting change;
• Promoting better welfare for captive bears, while we move to end the bear bile industry for good;
• Seeking laws, policies, monitoring and enforcement to ensure that captive bears are given space to move, provided with richer environments and are protected from all forms of bile extraction and exploitation;
• Raising awareness of alternatives to bear bile, including herbal and synthetic products, which are readily available, affordable and effective;
• Working with local organisations to urge governments to live up to their international commitments to protect bears and other wild animals.

How we are helping protect bears from baiting and dancing 

In 1997, World Animal Protection joined forces with the Bioresource Research Centre (BRC) in Pakistan to bring a permanent end to the tradition of using bears for entertainment. Our early partnership with BRC focused on investigative work and in more recent years on public awareness and the bear sanctuary.

The key message we are communicating to key decision makers and bear owners, is that the practice of keeping bears for entertainment is cruel, culturally unacceptable and illegal.

This campaign will eradicate the culture of using bears for entertainment by:

• Ensuring the continual decrease in baiting events held. During 2020, no more than 15 events were attempted, with no public event going ahead and less than five private events held;
• Ensuring legislative reform to make keeping bears illegal, tougher penalties are given to offenders, the number of dancing bears is capped and an authority is responsible for implementation;
• Negotiating with kalandars (bear owners) the surrender of their bears in return for alternative livelihoods – so they don’t return to the practice in future;
• Welcoming newly surrendered bears used for baiting or dancing at Balkasar sanctuary and providing resident bears with the highest level of care;
• Supporting BRC in developing and implementing a sustainability plan so that they can become self-sufficient in the long-term.