Bears are powerful, incredibly intelligent creatures. Studies on American black bears have even shown they can count.
Just the thought of keeping them captive for our entertainment is heartbreaking — but forcing one to wear a torture vest is beyond cruel.
Hell on earth
Bear Caesar spent the first part of her life in a kind of hell on earth. She lived on a farm in China that harvested ingredients for traditional Chinese medicine.
She was cruelly forced to supply the farm with bile from her gallbladder. Her captors drained her of the fluid 24 hours a day and bound her in a restrictive metal vest. She was confined to a small room where he could barely move.
But just as it appeared her life would never improve, kind-hearted animal advocates came to Caesar’s defense… and changed everything.
Like thousands of other bears in China, Caesar grew up in what could best be likened to hell on earth.
She was forced to live in a small confined space and had what could only be described as a torture west strapped onto her. Like a medieval torture device, the breastplate constricted her body, while a spike aimed at her neck prevented Caesar from attempting to bite or remove the apparatus.
Even worse, Caesar had an open wound on her side. She was forced to supply them bile from her gallbladder, which they used to make traditional Chinese medicine.
“It’s the worst imaginable bile farm torture,” Animals Asia, who saved Caesar, said about the vest.
Caesar suffered immensely in her terrible living conditions, and it’s incredible that she was able to survive. But amidst the darkness, without hope for an end to the torture, everything changed for Caesar in 2004 when she was one of several lucky bears rescued by Animals Asia.
By this time, she was frustrated, miserable, and seriously wounded. But thanks to Animals Asia, she was finally able to break free of the awful vest and get the love and care she needed and deserved.
She completely transformed into a strong, majestic bear with a beautiful, radiant coat. Just like the Roman general from whom she took her name, Caesar was a symbol of respect. Weighing in at 300 kg, she possessed a physical strength and stature that made her an extraordinary presence.
“Caesar’s scars have all but disappeared and today she is an astonishingly beautiful (and formidable) bear, ” the organization wrote back in 2016.
After being saved, her favorite activities included swimming and sunbathing, as well as digging — especially when the weather was nice and cool in the fall.
”She has now spent a dozen happy years with Animals Asia in Chengdu, enjoying swims in the sunshine as well as indulging her natural digging instincts – particularly when the weather cools in the autumn,” Animals Asia said.
”Seeing a bear shake themselves like this is always a moment full of awe – they’re such incredibly beautiful, powerful animals and none more so than Caesar,” Nic Field, director of the group’s China bear and vet team, said in a statement. ”To see her out in the sunshine – a dozen years on from her rescue – it’s hard to imagine her existence back then.”
Although Caesar was saved, it’s important to remember how much work still needs to be done to end animal torture.
In China, there are an estimated 10,000 bears locked up. Hopefully, Caesar’s story will serve as a wake-up call so that animal lovers the world over will band together and help put a stop to this.
”These metal jackets are now illegal so less common, but it’s likely that there are still some out there,” Steve Jackson, head of communications for Animals Asia, told The Dodo, in 2016.
Bear Caesar sad update
Caesar’s rescue may have been just one small step against the bile industry, but it completely transformed the life of this once-suffering brown bear. After years hidden in darkness, she finally got to enjoy swimming, climbing, and running freely through the grass — making up for lost time.
Tragically, the harsh conditions she endured on the gallbladder farm eventually caught up with her. A very aggressive tumor developed, a cruel reminder of the cellular damage and infections caused by repeated gallbladder extractions—a common reality for many rescued bears.
Shortly after the tumor was discovered, Caesar passed away, leaving Animals Asia and her caretakers heartbroken. Her story stands as a poignant update on the ongoing struggles faced by bears like her, and a somber reminder of the resilience and courage of animals who survive unimaginable cruelty.
