Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Len8]

Korea is the number one consumer of bear products. Wether they be from China, America, Japan orother parts of Asia. Apparently Gall Bladder bile is worth it`s weight in gold here in Korea, and Bear livers sell for over $1000 if not more.

Bear farms are a fair size buisnes here too. The bear of choice being the Asiatic black bear. I want to visit one of these bear farms as I think the experience would be a unique experience of korean Asian culture. There are supposed to be up to 300-400 bears in korean farms at present.

Anyone out there know where these farms are?

[Medic]

Koreans are nortorius when it comes to endangered species. A group of them were arrested in Thailand for eating bear meet and in particular bear paws.

The bear bile buisness is conducted mostly by ethnic Koreans living in North East China. Many Chinese Koreans bring bear parts to sell at a profit when they come to Korea.

[jaganath69]

I hear our little brothers up north do a roaring trade in dried seal penii too.

[inspector gadget]

I don't know of any bear farms at the moment however I can likely find out from one of my adult students next week.

Two weeks ago I brought up the topic of Bears in one of my classes. I did this because earlier that day I was making my regular journey to the local grocery store. As I approached the building I was suprised to see a cage with two Bears in it. Not sure why they were there I asked and my students told me that they were simply put there for display purposes. Aparently a farmer does this every year, nobody could really tell me why though.

I will ask him to see if he can find a farm, I assume there is one relatively close by. I live in rural jeollanam do and the main industry out here is farming. I too would like to check one of those farms out as well.

Back in the day when I was into hunting I was succesfull with a 450 pound black bear in northern ontario. Your correct about the Gall bladder, it is worth alot of money and as far as the meat is concerned.....it's actually pretty good, I had mine made up into fillets, roasts and sausages. It tastes a little on the wild side but several of my friends and families kept asking me for more cause they liked it.

If I have further info on the farms I will post it on Daves

[mindmetoo]

It strikes me as somewhat weird, but I guess raising a bear for its product value is no different from raising and slaughtering cows.

[Len8]

The procedure for extracting the gall bladder juice is the cruel part of the bear farming buisness. Apparently a pipe is forced up into their bodies to extract the bile, and it`s quite painful. The point of entry on the body heals of course, so they have to repeatedly force insert the pipe. Some farmers try and insert some plastic ring to keep the wound open, but that only makes the pain and agony worse.

[kangnam mafioso]

len8,

visiting bear farms sounds like a pretty macabre and depressing weekend activity.

while you're at it, maybe visit some pork slaughterhouses and dog markets too?

[sibidi]

Sounds like a horrific and backwards practice. I'm going to write a letter to the minister of agriculture in protest.

[mithridates]

http://www.greenkorea.org/
http://www.kfem.or.kr/home/intro/intro.html

[Len8]

Tthanks for that posting. The movies of the farms are quite an eye opener.

[RACETRAITOR]

Here's evidence of a bear farm in Korea. Right farking under our noses.