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China promotes bear bile as coronavirus

Gibbs

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Sigh .. When will they learn ?


  • [URL='https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals']ANIMALS
[/URL]
China promotes bear bile as coronavirus

China’s National Health Commission published a list of recommended treatments, including injections that contain bear bile powder.
5 MINUTE READ
BY [URL='https://www.nationalgeographic.com/contributors/f/rachel-fobar.html']RACHEL FOBAR


PUBLISHED MARCH 25, 2020




Less than a month after taking steps to permanently ban the trade and consumption of live wild animals for food, the Chinese government has recommended using Tan Re Qing, an injection containing bear bile, to treat severe and critical COVID-19 cases. It is one of a number of recommended coronavirus treatments—both traditional and Western—on a listpublished March 4 by China’s National Health Commission, the government body responsible for national health policy. This recommendation highlights what wildlife advocates say is a contradictory approach to wildlife: shutting down the live trade in animals for food on the one hand and promoting the trade in animal parts on the other.

Secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, bile from various species of bears, including Asiatic black bears and brown bears, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since at least the eighth century. It contains high levels of ursodeoxycholic acid, also known as ursodiol, which is clinically proven to help dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease. Ursodeoxycholic acid has been available as a synthetic drug worldwide for decades.

The World Health Organization says no cure exists for COVID-19, though some medicines, such as pain relievers and cough syrup, can treat symptomsassociated with the disease. (Read about what scientists know and don’t know about treating coronavirus.)


Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners typically use Tan Re Qing to treat bronchitis and upper respiratory infections. Clifford Steer, a professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, has studied the medical benefits of ursodeoxycholic acid. He knows of no evidence that bear bile is an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus. But, he says, ursodeoxycholic acid is distinct from other bile acids in its ability to keep cells alive and may alleviate symptoms of COVID-19 because of its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to calm the immune response.

Enacted in 1989, China’s wildlife protection law sees wild animals as a resource to be used for the benefit of humans. In 2016, it was amended to further legitimize the commercial use of wildlife, asserting explicitly that animals can be used for traditional Chinese medicine, Humane Society International’s China policy specialist Peter Li wrote at the time.


China’s government has recommended treating severe and critical cases of COVID-19

… Read MorePHOTOGRAPH BY STR, AFP/GETTY

Although use of bear bile from captive animals is legal in China, bile from wild bears is banned, as is the import of bear bile from other countries. According to Aron White, wildlife campaigner for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)—a nonprofit based in London, England, that exposes wildlife crimes—his organization learned first about the Chinese government’s recommendations to treat COVID-19 via social media posts from illegal traders.

The U.K. backed off on herd immunity. To beat COVID-19, we’ll ultimately need it.

“We were witnessing how this government recommendation was being coopted by the traffickers to advertise their illegal products as a treatment,” White says. Illegal bile from wild bears is produced in China, he says, and is also imported from wild and captive bears in Laos, Vietnam, and North Korea. The illegal trade persists even though Asiatic black bears, one of the species most commonly farmed for their bile, are protected from international commercial trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which regulates cross-border trade of wildlife and wildlife products.

Wildlife advocates worry that China’s recommended use of Tan Re Qing injections, which contain goat horn powder and extracts from several plants in addition to bear bile powder, will increase the trade in illegal wildlife products and justify animal abuse. “There’s a consistent preference among consumers for the wild product, which is often regarded as more powerful or ‘the real deal,’” White says. “So, having this legal market from captivity doesn’t reduce pressure on the wild populations—it actually just maintains demand that drives poaching.”

At bear bile farms in China and across Southeast Asia, the animals may be kept for decades in small cages. Bile is routinely extracted by inserting a catheter, syringe, or pipe into the gallbladder. All methods for extracting bile are invasive and “cause severe suffering, pain, and infection,” according to Animals Asia, a nonprofit dedicated to ending bear bile farming. Neglect and disease are common on these farms, and consumers risk ingesting bile from sick bears, which may be contaminated with blood, feces, pus, urine, and bacteria, according to Animals Asia.


Bile is pumped from the gallbladder of a sedated Asiatic black bear. Because diseases

… Read MorePHOTOGRAPH BY MARK LEONG, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Another traditional medicine on the National Health Commission’s approved list that could be in demand for use against COVID-19 is a pill called Angong Niuhuang Wan. The remedy, used to treat fever and various diseases, traditionally contains rhino horn, which is strictly banned from global trade. Under Chinese law, the pills must contain buffalo horn, White says, but some traders continue to tout pills containing rhino horn.

Promotion of Tan Re Qing injections and other wildlife-based treatments at a time when Beijing seems intent on shutting down the country’s trade in live wild animals “really speaks to the mixed messages coming out of China at the moment,” White says.

But in China, use of traditional medicine, most of which is plant-based, spans thousands of years and was the primary form of health care until the early 1900s, when the last emperor of the Qing dynasty was overthrown by a Western-trained doctor. Traditional cures are often endorsed by the government as a pillar of Chinese culture, and in 2018, the World Health Organization included traditional medicine diagnoses in its medical compendium. During the coronavirus pandemic, officials have emphasized their use, and 85 percent of COVID-19 patients receive some form of herbal treatment, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

China’s National Health Commission did not respond to requests for comment.

Risks to human health
All wildlife farms pose health risks, regardless of whether the animals are being bred for meat or traditional medicine, White says. For example, in both cases, hundreds of wild animals often live crammed together, and people often interact with carcasses.

“Whether [wildlife is] being consumed as meat or as medicine, the risks are still there in how the animals are being slaughtered, gathered and stored, processed, consumed,” White says. If China is closing farms that produce meat from wild animals such as peacocks, porcupines, and boar because they pose a disease risk, White says, “why are they also not looking at farms—you know, bear farms, tiger farms? You have many of the same issues.” Besides, he adds, “the vast majority of traditional Chinese medicine doesn’t contain any wildlife parts. This doesn’t need to be a threat to wildlife.”

When it comes to COVID-19, what we need is clear, says the University of Minnesota’s Clifford Steer. “At the end of the day,” he says, “the world just has to develop a vaccine against this to protect people.”

treatment, alarming wildlife advocates

China’s National Health Commission published a list of recommended treatments, including injections that contain bear bile powder.
5 MINUTE READ
BY RACHEL FOBAR

PUBLISHED MARCH 25, 2020




Less than a month after taking steps to permanently ban the trade and consumption of live wild animals for food, the Chinese government has recommended using Tan Re Qing, an injection containing bear bile, to treat severe and critical COVID-19 cases. It is one of a number of recommended coronavirus treatments—both traditional and Western—on a listpublished March 4 by China’s National Health Commission, the government body responsible for national health policy. This recommendation highlights what wildlife advocates say is a contradictory approach to wildlife: shutting down the live trade in animals for food on the one hand and promoting the trade in animal parts on the other.

Secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, bile from various species of bears, including Asiatic black bears and brown bears, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since at least the eighth century. It contains high levels of ursodeoxycholic acid, also known as ursodiol, which is clinically proven to help dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease. Ursodeoxycholic acid has been available as a synthetic drug worldwide for decades.

The World Health Organization says no cure exists for COVID-19, though some medicines, such as pain relievers and cough syrup, can treat symptomsassociated with the disease. (Read about what scientists know and don’t know about treating coronavirus.)


Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners typically use Tan Re Qing to treat bronchitis and upper respiratory infections. Clifford Steer, a professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, has studied the medical benefits of ursodeoxycholic acid. He knows of no evidence that bear bile is an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus. But, he says, ursodeoxycholic acid is distinct from other bile acids in its ability to keep cells alive and may alleviate symptoms of COVID-19 because of its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to calm the immune response.

Enacted in 1989, China’s wildlife protection law sees wild animals as a resource to be used for the benefit of humans. In 2016, it was amended to further legitimize the commercial use of wildlife, asserting explicitly that animals can be used for traditional Chinese medicine, Humane Society International’s China policy specialist Peter Li wrote at the time.


China’s government has recommended treating severe and critical cases of COVID-19

… Read MorePHOTOGRAPH BY STR, AFP/GETTY

Although use of bear bile from captive animals is legal in China, bile from wild bears is banned, as is the import of bear bile from other countries. According to Aron White, wildlife campaigner for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)—a nonprofit based in London, England, that exposes wildlife crimes—his organization learned first about the Chinese government’s recommendations to treat COVID-19 via social media posts from illegal traders.

The U.K. backed off on herd immunity. To beat COVID-19, we’ll ultimately need it.
“We were witnessing how this government recommendation was being coopted by the traffickers to advertise their illegal products as a treatment,” White says. Illegal bile from wild bears is produced in China, he says, and is also imported from wild and captive bears in Laos, Vietnam, and North Korea. The illegal trade persists even though Asiatic black bears, one of the species most commonly farmed for their bile, are protected from international commercial trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which regulates cross-border trade of wildlife and wildlife products.

Wildlife advocates worry that China’s recommended use of Tan Re Qing injections, which contain goat horn powder and extracts from several plants in addition to bear bile powder, will increase the trade in illegal wildlife products and justify animal abuse. “There’s a consistent preference among consumers for the wild product, which is often regarded as more powerful or ‘the real deal,’” White says. “So, having this legal market from captivity doesn’t reduce pressure on the wild populations—it actually just maintains demand that drives poaching.”

At bear bile farms in China and across Southeast Asia, the animals may be kept for decades in small cages. Bile is routinely extracted by inserting a catheter, syringe, or pipe into the gallbladder. All methods for extracting bile are invasive and “cause severe suffering, pain, and infection,” according to Animals Asia, a nonprofit dedicated to ending bear bile farming. Neglect and disease are common on these farms, and consumers risk ingesting bile from sick bears, which may be contaminated with blood, feces, pus, urine, and bacteria, according to Animals Asia.


Bile is pumped from the gallbladder of a sedated Asiatic black bear. Because diseases

… Read MorePHOTOGRAPH BY MARK LEONG, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Another traditional medicine on the National Health Commission’s approved list that could be in demand for use against COVID-19 is a pill called Angong Niuhuang Wan. The remedy, used to treat fever and various diseases, traditionally contains rhino horn, which is strictly banned from global trade. Under Chinese law, the pills must contain buffalo horn, White says, but some traders continue to tout pills containing rhino horn.

Promotion of Tan Re Qing injections and other wildlife-based treatments at a time when Beijing seems intent on shutting down the country’s trade in live wild animals “really speaks to the mixed messages coming out of China at the moment,” White says.

But in China, use of traditional medicine, most of which is plant-based, spans thousands of years and was the primary form of health care until the early 1900s, when the last emperor of the Qing dynasty was overthrown by a Western-trained doctor. Traditional cures are often endorsed by the government as a pillar of Chinese culture, and in 2018, the World Health Organization included traditional medicine diagnoses in its medical compendium. During the coronavirus pandemic, officials have emphasized their use, and 85 percent of COVID-19 patients receive some form of herbal treatment, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

China’s National Health Commission did not respond to requests for comment.

Risks to human health
All wildlife farms pose health risks, regardless of whether the animals are being bred for meat or traditional medicine, White says. For example, in both cases, hundreds of wild animals often live crammed together, and people often interact with carcasses.

“Whether [wildlife is] being consumed as meat or as medicine, the risks are still there in how the animals are being slaughtered, gathered and stored, processed, consumed,” White says. If China is closing farms that produce meat from wild animals such as peacocks, porcupines, and boar because they pose a disease risk, White says, “why are they also not looking at farms—you know, bear farms, tiger farms? You have many of the same issues.” Besides, he adds, “the vast majority of traditional Chinese medicine doesn’t contain any wildlife parts. This doesn’t need to be a threat to wildlife.”

When it comes to COVID-19, what we need is clear, says the University of Minnesota’s Clifford Steer. “At the end of the day,” he says, “the world just has to develop a vaccine against this to protect people.”

[/URL]
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...s-bear-bile-as-coronavirus-covid19-treatment/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...s-bear-bile-as-coronavirus-covid19-treatment/
 
黑熊是属于我国国家二级保护动物,因此应该按照有期徒刑5年到10年来量刑,并处罚金。根据不同的捕杀情节,将会在5年到10年内酌情判定。
Killing a black bear in China will serve 5-10 years prison term with a heavy fine. In US and Canada people can hunt bears for fun, in China you will serve long prison terms if you do so.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bear+hunting
 
黑熊是属于我国国家二级保护动物,因此应该按照有期徒刑5年到10年来量刑,并处罚金。根据不同的捕杀情节,将会在5年到10年内酌情判定。
Killing a black bear in China will serve 5-10 years prison term with a heavy fine. In US and Canada people can hunt bears for fun, in China you will serve long prison terms if you do so.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bear+hunting

Very disappointing response.. Atleast accept it's the wrong.. This is official govt policy, That's officially encouraging wildlife trade.. The issue is that not poaching in China but encouraging poaching else where including endangered species
 
Very disappointing response.. Atleast accept it's the wrong.. This is official govt policy, That's officially encouraging wildlife trade.. The issue is that not poaching in China but encouraging poaching else where including endangered species
记者从哈尔滨海关获悉,日前哈尔滨海关破获了一起走私熊胆、虎牙等珍贵动物制品案件,案件涉及案值达86.2万元。
Bear bile smuggling from foreign countries is also a very serious crime in China, you can serve even longer prison terms.
 
I usually refrain from unnecessarily criticizing China but can't help mention here that the abominable Chinese dietary habits of eating endangered and vulnerable fauna and their reliance on Traditional Medicine have wrecked havoc on the ecosystem of North East India. Our critically endangered wildlife like the Rhinos and Pangolins are being poached so that the Chinese can have their fill. We protecting our animals here(which we are doing well btw) solves only one half of the problem, unless the Chinese change this despicable culture of theirs, we will always be a step behind.
 
I usually refrain from unnecessarily criticizing China but can't help mention here that the abominable Chinese dietary habits of eating endangered and vulnerable fauna and their reliance on Traditional Medicine have wrecked havoc on the ecosystem of North East India. Our critically endangered wildlife like the Rhinos and Pangolins are being poached so that the Chinese can have their fill. We protecting our animals here(which we are doing well btw) solves only one half of the problem, unless the Chinese change this despicable culture of theirs, we will always be a step behind.
Imposing strict anti poaching law as China did can certainly help, people are greedy in nature, we need strict laws to deter criminals, poaching ans animal smuggling are serious crimes in China,but in most other countries, they are not severly punished enough, hunting is totally banned in China, the western countries should ban hunting too.
 
Very disappointing response.. Atleast accept it's the wrong.. This is official govt policy, That's officially encouraging wildlife trade.. The issue is that not poaching in China but encouraging poaching else where including endangered species

Relax, dude. Think through this before you start to bend yourself out of shape. Let's assume that the story is accurate. The question then is "How can it ever be a viable solution to the pandemic?" There aren't enough bears out there that humans can harvest for medicinal purposes. Try not to suspend common sense.
 
Imposing strict anti poaching law as China did can certainly help, people are greedy in nature
Our wildlife security personnel in NE are permitted to shoot people down to protect our endangered animals. Yes, you heard it right! We have been doing all we can to stop this menace, but till their is demand for the same from China all such measures would be insufficient.

My gripe with you guys is the same as @Gibbs . You guys did everything in your power to stop poaching in your country, that's well and good, but in the process you actually encouraged animal smuggling from your neighborhood countries. Only way to deal with this menace is to curb demand in your country of the foods/medicines that make hunting down animals elsewhere necessary.
 
but in the process you actually encouraged animal smuggling from your neighborhood countries.
Smuggling animals from abroad is a very serious crime with long prison terms in China. there are always greedy people both in China and foreign countries may risk their lives to do this business, more severe punishment and law enforcement is needed.

China executes drug dealers, but still can't wipe this crime out, the huge profit enboldens some to risk their lives to do it.
 
I usually refrain from unnecessarily criticizing China but can't help mention here that the abominable Chinese dietary habits of eating endangered and vulnerable fauna and their reliance on Traditional Medicine have wrecked havoc on the ecosystem of North East India. Our critically endangered wildlife like the Rhinos and Pangolins are being poached so that the Chinese can have their fill. We protecting our animals here(which we are doing well btw) solves only one half of the problem, unless the Chinese change this despicable culture of theirs, we will always be a step behind.
dont ignore the Japanese friends who are hell bent on wiping out the whales for the sake of their mellinia old traditions

becoming vegetarians for few decades might be the best solution for humanity
until the meat like protein fiber can be artificially cultured and produced in the labs and commercially available that is safe for human consumption
 
becoming vegetarians for few decades might be the best solution for humanity
That would be very difficult for meat consuming regions like ours in NE India or yours in Pakistan. I have nothing against the dietary habits of any country as long as they continue to adhere to the wildlife laws framed by conventions and the laws of the land. In fact, some of our dietary customs will disgust most Indians from other parts.

What i am dead against is countries like China, Japan and other SE Asian nations brazenly encouraging illegal wildlife trade via their fascination of consuming illegal wildlife both as food and traditional medicines. The ramifications of their actions are felt elsewhere..

Sadly, the international wildlife protection organizations have turned a blind eye towards such misdeeds by recognising and legitimising the absurd quackery of Chinese Traditional Medicine. I guess that having considerable clout over such organisations helps sway opinions..
 
Relax, dude. Think through this before you start to bend yourself out of shape. Let's assume that the story is accurate. The question then is "How can it ever be a viable solution to the pandemic?" There aren't enough bears out there that humans can harvest for medicinal purposes. Try not to suspend common sense.

You need to inquire that from the Chinese govt authorities..

" Less than a month after taking steps to permanently ban the trade and consumption of live wild animals for food, the Chinese government has recommended using Tan Re Qing, an injection containing bear bile, to treat severe and critical COVID-19 cases. It is one of a number of recommended coronavirus treatments—both traditional and Western—on a listpublished March 4 by China’s National Health Commission, the government body responsible for national health policy."

This at a time like this is going to devastate the Asiatic black bear population, The source is National Geographic, A globally recognized non political non partial organization

Smuggling animals from abroad is a very serious crime with long prison terms in China. there are always greedy people both in China and foreign countries may risk their lives to do this business, more severe punishment and law enforcement is needed.

China executes drug dealers, but still can't wipe this crime out, the huge profit enboldens some to risk their lives to do it.

You seen to keep ignoring that this is being promoted by a Chinese govt agency, So what you're saying is highly contradictory to whats been done
 
dont ignore the Japanese friends who are hell bent on wiping out the whales for the sake of their mellinia old traditions

becoming vegetarians for few decades might be the best solution for humanity
until the meat like protein fiber can be artificially cultured and produced in the labs and commercially available that is safe for human consumption

That may well be the future. But why is it not ok to eat what we rear.

I don't see it any different from growing a crop and eating it.
 

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