An examination of the trade in bear parts and derivatives for traditional medicine in Hong Kong and its legality

Asian bear species are declining across their range owing in part to a demand for their parts and derivatives used in traditional medicine. Previous studies have shown Hong Kong to be a significant consumer of bear bile products and bear gall bladders. This study was undertaken to gauge current trade dynamics involving bears in Hong Kong such as commodities in trade, availability and legality of the trade through an analysis of seizure data, CITES trade data and market survey data. We found that the main demand for bear parts and derivatives remains medicinal in nature but that the open availability of bear bile products is shrinking. There are several possible explanations for this including diminishing demand due to negative public perception regarding the use of threatened species as medicine, as well as several amendments to the law resulting in stricter regulations around the use of wild animals in traditional medicine. We also found that bear bile products in the market were of legal and potentially illegal origins. This revealed that further improvements to wildlife legislation is needed to eliminate loopholes which could be used to launder illicit products into the market. With market demands for bear bile medicines appearing to be in decline, engagement with traditional medicine practitioners in Hong Kong is recommended to reduce their reliance on bear bile medicines, especially since effective synthetic alternatives are available and public sentiment suggests a growing acceptance in using synthetic bear bile.