via: china daily, also read: sinosplice's chinese zoos and china daily's Panda numbers up 40 per cent
A bear rescued from a farm arrives at a rescue centre in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province January 18, 2005. Local authorities rescued 45 bears that are implanted with steel catheter into their gall bladders to collect bile in Suining, Sichuan province. The bears will be released into the wild after receiving medical treatment and recovering at the rescue centre, according to Tianfu Morning Paper. Bear bile is considered to be a precious traditional Chinese medicine. [newsphoto
Workers at a rescue centre in Chengdu check bears rescued from a farm in Southwest China's Sichuan province, January 18, 2005. Local authorities rescued 45 bears that were implanted with steel catheters into their gall bladders to collect bile in Suining, Sichuan province.[newsphoto]