Asian black bear
Five black bear populations, occurring in Kyushu, Shikoku, West-Chugoku, East-Chugoku and Kii areas, were listed as endangered by the Environmental Agency in the Japanese Red Data Book in 1991. Small isolated populations in the Tanzawa and Shimokita areas of mainland Honshū were listed as endangered in 1995. Beyond recognising these populations as endangered, there is still a lack of efficient conservation methods for Japanese black bears.
Jill Robinson
Jill Robinson is the founder of Animals Asia Foundation. Born and raised in England, Robinson was always interested in the welfare of animals. As a child she volunteered in veterinary offices during her school holidays. In the mid-1980s she moved to Hong Kong, where she began working for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, focusing on work in China and South Korea.
In 1993, Robinson visited a bear bile farm in China. According to Robinson, at the time approximately 10,000 Asiatic black bears were caged at farms similar to this one, in conditions many animal welfare groups consider horrific. At bear bile farms, bile is extracted from the bear's gallbladder for use in traditional Chinese medicines. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, only about 15,000–20,000 Asiatic black bears are alive in the wild in China, which would qualify them for the highest protection described by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Chinese authorities estimate that over 50,000 of the bears live in the wild, which would eliminate the necessity for higher protection.