Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Moon bear story

Bear bile - Living cruelty and torment.

Recently I received an email in chinese about a story of a man who was asked to look after the running of a bear farm for a friend. I will roughly translate the important parts.
受朋友之托,替他管理幾天「熊莊」,那是位於某某市西北部山腳下一所隱蔽的別墅,也是朋友養熊的莊園。

Just before dawn the author couldn't sleep, he kept hearing pained cries in his room. At the same time, he heard movements at his door with heavy, rough breathing. Nobody replied him so he grab a broom and opened his room door.
是夜,五更時分,我在小樓裡輾轉難寐。山風不斷送入一陣陣的聲,像一聲聲悲泣,既痛苦又絕望。恰在此時,我彷彿聽到門上有輕輕的動靜,「咯吱,咯吱」,同時還伴著粗重的呼吸。我猛一翻身坐了起來,隨手拉開了燈「誰?」沒有任何回答,沉寂得煞是怕人。我伸手抓起一把掃帚,輕輕走到門邊,猛地拉開了房門。

Outside was a baby bear. The author stretch out his arms and the baby bear crawled towards him and licked his hand.
哈,門外蜷縮著一隻小熊,它胖胖的身軀蜷作一團,毛烘烘的鬢髮柔軟地蓬鬆著。它怯怯地望著我,發出近乎諂媚的喏喏叫聲,「熊熊,來,來啊,」我張開手,小熊搖搖擺擺地爬到我面前,小掌搭在我身上,用那溫暖的舌頭舔著我的手,柔軟極了。

Suddenly, a noise came from outside and the baby bear hid itself. Someone told the author that they let a small bear out, the author told them it was hiding under his bed and they grab and drag the bear out from his bed. They tied it up and carried it away with a pole. The bear looked helplessly at the author as it left the room.
突然,一陣喧譁聲從外面傳來,小熊眼神一怔,敏捷地鑽到了床下面。很快,傳來敲門聲,我拉開門問道:「什麼事啊?」「熊房剛跑了只小熊,沒來打擾先生吧?」「哦,有啊,在這呢。」我指著小熊躲藏的地方。他們俯下身,一把就抓住了它,粗暴地從裡面用裡地往外拖著,他們把四隻熊腿對足綁定,用一隻粗長的棍子穿起來抬走了。小熊在離開房門時,那仰著的頭顱彎過來無助地望了我一眼,那是企求可憐目光。

In the morning, one of the workers Old Zhang, took the author to the bear room. The room is large and has 6 cages. Each cage has a bear inside. On each of their tummy is a shiny metal pocket. He was told that that is used to extract the bile. Bile prices are now 300 rmb per gram. The author was led to the 1st cage and informed that the bile extraction has started.
天亮後,帶班的老張說領我去熊房看看。來到一個有幾千平方米的高大建築裡,裡面很空曠,平放著六個籠子,每個籠子裡都有一隻萎靡的黑熊。奇怪的是它們身上都箍著一個明晃晃的像兜肚的東西。老張告訴我,「這是取膽汁用的,現在的熊膽汁價格是每克300元。」他帶我來到第一個籠子跟前,打手勢告訴我:「採膽汁開始了。」

Two workers tied the bear down and pull the rope attached at the 2 sides of the metal pocket which passes through a pulley. With a shout, the shiny object started to contract. Suddenly the bear let our a miserable cry. It kept lifting its head and bulged its rounded eyes. It scraped at the ground in the limited space, emitting a sharp ear-piercing sound. Within moments, the metal rod attached to it's belly started to drip dark green bile. The workers released the rope slowly.
我看見兩個彪悍的工人麻利地左右綁好熊軀,在那剛兜肚兩側各拉起一條粗大的繩子,經過一個特製的滑輪,齊喊了聲「嗨!」只見熊身上的鋼兜肚漸漸地收縮著收縮著。突然,熊發出了歇斯底里的吼喊:「嗚!」那簡直不是吼叫啊,那是變了形狀的淒哭,之間他拚命仰著頭痛苦地瞪圓了眼睛,四個粗大的掌子在有限的空間蹬抓著地面,發出「滋拉,滋拉」地刺耳聲響,瞬間,那腹下的鋼管裡「滴答,滴答」地流出了碧綠色的液體。操作工人又慢慢鬆開繩子,接著拉起下一個回合,又是一個聲嘶力竭的泣叫。

The author saw the bear shed tears. He couldn't look anymore and left. He then understood where the cries he heard came from last night.
我看到熊的眼淚暫態淌下來,它竟然也像人一樣咬緊了牙齒,躬起了身體去承受著無休止的痛苦。好悲慘的一幕啊,我不忍再看,扭頭走開了。此時,我才明白,夜裡那些悲叫是這些帶著傷痛的熊,在難挨的暮色裡發出的呻吟啊。

Old Zhang followed the author to the door. He asked him, "Do you all still have any humanity? They are lives!" Old Zhang replied, "No choice, this is our job." The author calmed down and asked, "What's the interval between each draw?" Old Zhang told him if there is more bile, twice a day. Less bile, once every two days. In general, one bear can produce 2000 grams of bile powder in a year, and this can be produced for 10 years. Twice a day for 10 years! That's 7200 times of pain, day after day, year after year! It will be difficult for even a strong-willed person to endure.
老張跟我到門口,我聲音顫抖的質問他:「你們還有人性麼?它們可都是生命啊!」老張淡淡地說道:「沒辦法,我們幹的就是這樣的活啊。」情緒稍定,我無奈地問他:「多長時間採一次膽汁?」他回答道:「那要看情況了,膽汁多的一天兩次,少的最遲兩天要一次,一般一個熊年產膽粉2000克,可以採10年。」我的心戰慄了,一天兩次,10年,這是個什麼樣的魔鬼數字啊,也就是說,這樣欲死的折磨每天都要進行兩次,要在這樣欲生不能的刑法裡忍受10年,7200次剜心剔骨啊。要日復一日,年復一年的熬啊,縱是人的堅強生命力,也肯定難以堅持下來,我的心痛痛的。

The author wanted to go back. Old Zhang said, "In a short while, we have to performed surgery for the small bear, you cannot leave at this crucial moment, you represent the boss, if you leave and anything happens, who is going to be responsible?" He had no choice but to follow Old Zhang back to the bear room. Under Old Zhang's command, four workers tied the small bear up.
我提出要回去。老張說:「一會要對小熊手術,這個關鍵時刻你可不能走,你代表劉總,你走了,出了事誰能負得去這個責任!」我只好跟他又回到了熊房。在他招呼下,四個彪悍的工人圍攏到了小熊跟前,用鐵鏈子緊緊地捆綁起那隻小熊。

The baby bear look terrified at everyone, when it saw the author, it looked at him with pleading eyes and the author felt his eye teared. The bear flop and kneeled on all its four paws. But Old Zhang waved his hand, and instruct the operation to commence. The baby bear lifted its head to the roof and emitted a disappointed cried. It was such a soul-shaking cry that even the workers were shaken.
小熊驚恐地望著大家,當它的眼神看到我時,頓時一亮,渴求地望著我。我的眼睛濕潤了,此時,它竟然「撲通」一聲向我跪了下來,是四個蹄子同時跪下老張擺擺手,命令開始手術,小熊失望地朝著屋頂,放聲大哭「嗚」那聲音慘極了,失望極了,是我在這個世界上從未聽過的震撼心靈的呼喊,它簡直就是用人類的語言呼喊出來的一個「媽」字,就連那些劊子手般的工人也為之一震。

At that moment, a strange sight occured. One of the bears in the cages let out a howl, and used her paws to pry open the thumb-wide cage bars bit by bit and rushed out. The workers scattered. The author was rooted to the ground and couldn't move. But the adult bear ignored his presence and pounded towards the baby bear, using her clumsy paw to rid of the thick chains, but in vain. It can only kissed the baby bear and hold it in her arms licking away its tears and cooing to her young.
就在此時,一個異常震撼的情景出現了,只見籠子裡的一隻大熊嘶叫了一聲,竟然用那巨掌一點點地撐開了拇指般粗的鐵籠子,蹦了出來。嚇得那些工人四下逃竄,我頓時呆住了,腳下像生了鉛,一步也移動不得。可大熊沒有理會我的存在,飛快地蹦到了小熊的跟前,用那笨拙的巨掌去解那粗粗的鏈子,可怎麼也解不開,它只好親吻著小熊,勉強地把它依偎在自己的懷裡,用舌頭慈愛地舔去小熊嚴重的淚水,哼哼叫著去撫慰自己親愛的孩子。小熊也像在連連叫著媽媽,「嗚嗚」地嗚嚥著,求媽媽救救自己。

Suddenly the adult bear cried crazily, using its big paws to strangle the baby bear, howling and using all her strength on the grip. Until its body goes limp, the mother bear then released her grip, watching her dead child and whimpering. Then she bit her own fur, and ripped off the metal pocket on her body together with half the gall bladder, in an instant her fur at her tummy was red. In a loud cry, it rushed madly towards the wall and rammed against it, and the wall fell. The author went numb.
突然,大熊狂叫著,用自己的巨掌狠狠地掐住小熊的脖子,吼叫著用盡力氣掐著,掐著直到小熊的身體軟綿綿地倒下來,它才鬆開了自己的巨掌,它看著已經死去的孩子,它嗚嚥著。哀鳴著,彷彿在喊:「孩子啊,媽媽救不了你,但你再不會去受罪了,媽媽對不起你啊!」它先是撕咬著自己的毛髮,接著一把拽下了身上的鋼兜肚,那鋼管帶著半個膽囊飛了出來,肚子上的毛皮頓時被鮮血染紅了,汩汩的流淌著殷紅的赤丹。只見它大叫一聲,瘋了似的向牆壁撞去,「砰!」牆壁轟然倒塌了。我麻木了,根本不知道自己是如何走出這個殘酷的熊房的。

For the whole day, the same tragic scene repeated in his mind. He asked himself, "Was that a show of motherly love? It should be, it's a helpless motherly love. There was no way she could save her child from 20 years of hell, except to kill it and accompany it later. It could only be this meaning.
整整一天,我腦海裡都是那些悲慘的一幕。我在心中自問:熊媽媽的舉動是母愛?我想是的,是一種無奈的母愛。在此時此地,它沒有能力幫助孩子解脫那20年地獄般的痛苦,無奈之下,只有把創造了的愛毀掉,再去冥冥之中陪伴它,尋覓它,惟有如此啊!

Please do not wear fur, eat bear paws, eat bear meat, use bear bile and any product from bears. More on bear farming in the next post.

2 comments:

N said...

Seriously. This happens?? In real life? That's horrible! I honestly teared up reading this :( How can people be so cruel? Who cares if it's your job? You could find something else, move somewhere else if you have to. To inflict this sort of tortorous pain upon any animal is horrendous. To me, the Bear holds a special place in my heart, as the Bear is a ancient symbol of life and the Mother Earth. I could definitely understand the mother bear killing her young in order to save it. I'd do the same to my child if I had to. People are disgusting.

dreamy said...

This was pass on to me by a friend, and appeared on many chinese websites. No sources are available, so I hope this is also not true either. However, the suffering of moon bears for bile extraction is certainly true - in my next post.

I am so sorry, it wasn't meant to make anyone sad or angry, just to highlight that bears too can feel emotion, and not to use them nor their products.

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