Bear bile is a wildlife product which has long been an important medicine in China, but which sparks animal welfare and conservation concerns. In China, bile from approved bear farms is used in legal medicines sold in hospitals and pharmacies to treat a range of illnesses, most often linked to the liver or eyes. However, there is also an illicit market for gallbladders from illegally-hunted wild bears.
The aim of our study was to understand who uses bear bile medicines, what types they use, and how often they use them. We also wanted to better understand knowledge and views of bear bile, from the perspective of both consumers and medical practitioners (pharmacists and doctors). Our research team worked in large cities in four Chinese provinces, using different methods including interviews with medical practitioners and public surveys.
We found that just over one in 10 people use bear bile medicines, and that the medicines are seen as important treatments for specific illnesses. People who use bear bile medicines often did not know whether the source of the bile they were using was wild or farmed. Furthermore, although many doctors and pharmacy workers thought that wild products were more effective than farmed, we did not find any evidence during our interviews of wild bile being prescribed or sold. Nevertheless, small numbers of consumers did admit to using wild bile recently.
We show that combining different methods to find out information from diverse people involved in the wildlife trade can shed light on complex wildlife markets. In China, bear bile products have important links to medicinal tradition as well as being an everyday medicine for large numbers of people. With the potential overlap between farmed and wild bear bile consumption, conservation interventions that lead to abrupt changes in these markets must carefully consider how consumers and practitioners may react. Beyond the bear bile trade, our work highlights the importance of considering perspectives from a range of different people who may be involved in shaping demand for wildlife products when designing or evaluating conservation interventions.
关于中国的含熊胆药品/制品贸易，消费者和中医/药从业者能告诉我们什么？
作为野生动物制品，熊胆汁（粉）在中国一直都是一种重要的药品，但这引起了动物福利和保护的关注。在中国，针对治疗与肝脏或眼睛相关的疾病，获批准的黑熊饲养场生产的人工引流胆汁能以粉的形式用于合法药品中在医院及药店进行销售。然而，也存在非法猎杀野生黑熊以获取野生熊胆囊的非法市场。
我们的研究是为了了解使用含熊胆药品/制品的人群、使用的类型以及使用频率。我们也想从消费者和医疗从业者（药店店员和医生）的角度更好地了解对含熊胆药品/制品的认识和观点。我们的研究团队在中国四个省份的大城市使用不同的方法开展了调查，包括医生/药店店员访谈和公众问卷调查。
我们发现约十分之一的人使用过含熊胆药品/制品，并且这类药品被认为是治疗特定疾病的重要方法。使用过含熊胆药品/制品的人群通常不知道其所用成分来源是野生的还是人工饲养的。此外，尽管有很多医生和药店店员认为野生的比人工饲养的更加有效，但我们从的访谈中并未发现有开过野生熊胆的处方或推荐过野生熊胆制品的证据。尽管如此，还是有极少数的消费者称近期使用过野生的熊胆制品。
我们的研究表明，结合不同的方法，从不同的野生动物贸易参与人群获取信息，可以揭示复杂的野生动物贸易市场。在中国，含熊胆药品/制品与医药传统有着重要的联系，同时也是许多人的日常用药。由于对人工饲养繁育的消费与野生熊胆的消费间存在潜在的重叠，欲在这些市场中促成改变的保护干预措施必须认真考虑消费者和医生/医药从业者将如何反应。除含熊胆药品/制品的贸易外，我们的研究还强调了在设计或评估保护干预措施时，需重点考虑可能影响野生动物制品需求的不同人群观点。
Relational Thinking 