The ultimate sacrifice: Mother bear kills her cub and then herself to save her from a life of torture.

A mother bear has reportedly strangled her cub and then killed herself by running head first into a wall to save them both from a life of torture.
The bears were reportedly having their gall bladders milked daily for 'bear bile' which is used in traditional Chinese medicine to remove 'heat' from the body as well as to treat liver ailments and sore eyes.

The bile, a digestive juice, is harvested through a permanent hole in the abdomen and gall bladder of Asiatic black bears, which, as it is open permanently, is susceptible to infections and diseases which can cause the animals unbearable pain.

This often leads bears trying to kill themselves by punching themselves in the stomach. To stop this they are fitted with iron vests.

It has been reported that the mother and cub were being kept in tiny cages known as 'crush cages' which restricted their movement, on a farm in a remote part of North-West of China, according to website Asia One.

The mother bear rushed to its cub and hugged it until it eventually strangled it before running head-first into a wall, killing itself.
According to Singapore Seen, the witness, who has not been named, said: 'When a worker wanted to open up her cub’s stomach, the mother bear broke open the cage and went after the cub.
'After failing to release the chained cub, she hugged the cub.
'Then, the mother bear killed the cub to save it from a life of hell.'
Bears can be farmed for their bile for around 20 years, before they stop producing it and are killed.

Critics, including Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, have opposed the use of bear bile in their treatments and increasing numbers are turning to herbal and synthetic alternatives.

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SOUTH Korea has seized thousands of smuggled drug capsules filled with powdered human flesh and is strengthening customs inspections, officials said today.
The capsules were made in northeastern China from dead babies whose bodies were chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder, a statement from the Korea Customs Service said.
Customs officials refused to disclose where the babies came from or who made the capsules, citing possible diplomatic friction with Beijing. Chinese officials have been cracking down on the production of such capsules since last year.
The customs office has discovered 35 smuggling attempts since August of about 17,450 capsules disguised as stamina boosters, and some people believe them to be a panacea for disease, the statement said. The capsules of human flesh, however, contained superbacteria and other harmful ingredients...