VET REMOVES REMOVES GALL BLADDER OF AN ASIATIC BLACK BEAR IN CHENGDU, 2002-12-16 (photo)

Veterinary surgeon Gail Cochrane of the Animals Asia Foundation removes the gall bladder of a sedated Asiatic black bear at the "Moon Bear Rescue Centre" in Chengdu in China's Sichuan province December 16, 2002. The gall bladder is removed to avoid infection and save the bear. Though it is illegal to hunt Asiatic black bears - also known as moon bears - in the wild in China, the animals are still trapped or killed by poachers for their gall bladders and other body parts, which are used for traditional medecines. Twenty of 84 bears at the centre were freed into a bamboo forest sanctuary for the first time on December 16 after they were rescued from bear farms in Sichuan. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV CC/JD