How cuddly Olympics mascot became controversial
Bears in South Korea killed to harvest bile
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – The Asiatic black bear is one of the cuddly mascots of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Animal rights activists say the choice of that mascot is ironic, since bears in South Korea are kept on farms and killed to harvest bile, which is used in traditional medicine.
“It is wonderful to be celebrating the Olympics, but the mascot is the very species that is suffering on bear bile farms,” said Jill Robinson, CEO of Animals Asia, an organization that is working to ban the practice.
Robinson said about 1,000 of the species, also called moon bears for the white crescent shapes on their chests, are kept on farms in South Korea.
Activists hope the world focus on the Olympics will also bring attention to the fate of the bears, which once freely roamed Korea’s rugged mountains.
The Olympic Games have already raised concerns over the South Korean practice of eating dog meat from animals raised in often filthy conditions on farms.
“It’s our hope that the cute and cud- dly cartoon moon bear mascot named ‘Bandabi’ will serve as an ambassador of sorts for actual moon bears in South Korea, whose lives are anything but idyllic and cute,” Robinson said.
Under South Korean law, the bears are allowed to be killed at age 10 to have their gallbladders harvested so the bile can be removed. The average life of the bears is about 25.
The bile is used in traditional medicine to cure a host of ills. Bear farming is also common in China and Vietnam.
But the practice in South Korea is already fading away. Polls suggest most people have no interest in purchasing the bile and the public has grown more sensitive to animal rights.
Advocates are making headway in curbing the practice. South Korea has banned the practice of extracting the bile from live bears using a catheter.
The government is also pushing to sterilize the bears in an effort to reduce the numbers in captivity.
Demand for the bile is also dwindling as the compound found in the bile is produced synthetically.
But activists are concerned that there aren’t sanctuaries to rescue bears so they won’t all be killed when they turn 10.
“Bear farming is an extremely cruel and inhumane practice that has no place in modern society,” Robinson said.