Famous Musicians Who Care About Bears

The Let A Bear Sh!t In The Woods campaign features a laundry list of celebrities, including musicians like Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis, Duff McKagan of Guns n' Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, and Moby–but what exactly does the group advocate?

Answer: to end bear bile farming, the horrific extraction of bile from the gall bladders of bears raised in small “crush cages.” Bear bile is used for medicinal purposes and fetches a pretty penny, along with bear parts. Activists insist there are alternative, synthetic replacements that can replace bear bile.

The extraction process is painful, leads to infections, and captive bears have shortened life spans. According to mongabay.com, the Asain black bear (commonly farmed) can live to age 35 in the wild, while bile bears peak at age five and are killed at age of ten, if they survive that long.

The good news: Animals Asia's campaign is working and has save over 400 bears. According to Animals Asia's website, pressure from activists has led to another recent victory: “The local authorities of Vietnam's Quang Ninh government have agreed to completely end bear bile farming in the province by transferring all of the remaining 38 bears to Animals Asia's Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre.”

We're intrigued by this bizarre teaser from RHCP's frontman Anthony Kiedis. To learn more, visit www.bearinthewoods.org.