And in addition to living in inhumane conditions, many farm bears are milked for bile. It is believed that 85.3% of farmed bears are moon bears, even though the moon bear is a protected species under CITES and a threatened species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. Not only are bear farms legal within Korea, but they are rarely inspected for adherence to codes of humane care, adequate facilities, and the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Though South Korea’s Ministry of Environment has pledged to slowly restore moon bears in Jirisan, they have turned their backs on the bears surviving in farms, instead protecting the interests of the 110 bear farms it should monitor. Against all odds, a meager population of around twenty bears currently survives in the park. SBS news reported that hundreds of bear traps were found throughout the park, and other news sources reported that at least one bear was found dead in a trap. ![]() But the reintroduction of the moon bear has been largely unsuccessful because the Ministry of Environment has failed to police poaching in Jirisan effectively. To counteract the species’ imminent extinction, the South Korean government began importing and releasing moon bears in a protected wildlife area at Jirisan National Park. The population of wild moon bears in South Korea declined from fifty-six bears in 1980 to less than half that number in 2001. But after years of poaching and habitat encroachment, these majestic animals face extinction. Moon bears, or Asiatic Black Bears, once thrived throughout the Korean peninsula. Wild moon bears are virtually extinct, and more than 1,600 “domesticated” bears are kept captive in cramped cages and farmed for bile and body parts. The plight of bears in South Korea is tragic. Photos courtesy Animals Asia Foundation and
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