Poachers scour the regions few remaining forests to shoot, trap and poison the animals.
Their bones, flesh and organs make up the key ingredient to popular medicinal remedies prescribed for centuries throughout Asia. In high demand is the bear's gall bladder and the bile it produces. The Malaysian Sun bear, which once roamed the forests of Southeast Asia is now one of the region's most critically endangered species. While populations of black bears still exist in the wild, they are being routinely poached by gangs of hunters who then ferry the animals to traders for sale in Vietnam and abroad. Environmentalists have drawn a line in the dirt, declaring bear bile remedies bogus.