Become Bear Aware!

Learn about bears and the problems they are facing worldwide.
Find out what you can do to help them.

Join the Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Wildlife Information’s Education Celebration:
The 110th Congress, the United States Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 347 designating May 2008 as Be Bear Aware and Wildlife Stewardship Month!

Join us at the Oregon Zoo for Bear Awareness Week:
May 10-16

Biggest Threat for Many Bears = BILE

Bears around the globe are being hunted and poached for the bile inside their gall bladders. The bile is used in Chinese traditional medicine and is illegally sold in Asian markets. Malayan sun bear, Asiatic black bear and American black bear populations are in serious danger from this trade. The demand for bear bile is also affecting grizzly and polar bear populations to some extent.

For more information about bear conservation around the world and the bear trade, visit the National Zoo's webpage, the International Association for Bear Research & Management, and the World Wildlife Fund.