Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam (CNN) -- As a hangover "cure," they don't come more brutally disturbing than bear bile. Extracted from the animal with a long needle inserted into the gall bladder on illegal bear farms in Vietnam and China, the endangered Asiatic black bear -- also known as Moon Bears because of the crescent of white fur on their chest - is subjected to a slow death from infection and disease in tiny cages that restrict their movements. "In Vietnam, men in particular mix bear bile with rice wine because they believe it makes them stronger and able to drink more," says Tuan Bendixsen, Vietnam director of Animals Asia, an animal welfare group.
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14 Moon Bears have been rescued from a bear bile farm in Vietnam
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The bears were illegally harvested for their bile which is used in folk remedies
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The painful process often leads to a slow and agonizing death for the bear
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The rescue marks the first time a large number of bears was relinquished on conscience
"In @placeholder, especially, these remedies are not thousands of years old at all, they've been imported from China much more recently," he says.