Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 70

Greater Bear Area
Chinese International School, Marsh, Megan - 9
I own the greatest sanctuary for Bears. The Greater Bear Area. Our organisation saves and protects them
from being used for the bear bile industry. It all started when I was twelve. I was living in Hong Kong...
Our school organised an excursion in the Greater Bay Area. We were to learn more about the environment
that we lived in and also to explore possibilities or opportunities. ShenZhen was the first city for research.
Upon arriving there, I realised that Shenzhen did not feel much different to HongKong. I was assigned a
room with my BFF, Maddie. The itinerary for the next day included the Safari Park. I had only been to a
zoo once in my life because I believe that animals shouldn’t be held captive.
I woke up to the sound of Maddie snoring like a wild pig, or maybe even the loudest trumpet in the world.
It made me laugh as I climbed out of bed. I got changed and woke up my roommate.
As soon as we arrived, I could tell the zoo really needed refurbishing. All metal was rusty and the cages did
not look very secure. Clearly, the zoo wasn’t looked after. I wondered how well the animals were cared for.
We started at the bear station.
“Are you aware that bears in China are used for their bile?” the tour guide asked.
“ What’s bile?” I replied.
“Bile is a dark green to yellowish brown liquid produced by the liver of bears.”
“How do they get it from the liver?”
“You might not want to know...” she answered.
“Most bears used in bile production are the Asiatic Black Bear vor Moon Bear. Bear Bile is not only found
in traditional Chinese medicine, but also in throat lozenges, shampoo, wine and tea. As well, it is used for
childhood nutrition and cancer. The bears are factory farmed which does not kill them. On the other hand,
wild bears are hunted and killed for their liver. “
After I heard that, I was filled with anger. I couldn't care more for what was happening to the bears. I knew
I had to stop this cruel act. After the safari park visit, we had some free time. I went for a walk with Maddie.
We wandered through a park, talking about what we had learned. We stopped for a while. Nearby, were
two men. I overheard them discussing the price of bear bile and an exchange place. I could not believe my
ears. I whipped out my phone and typed down the address with shaking hands.
Maddie wanted to help stop bile trading, just like I did. We googled the address and found it was close to
the hotel.
A local man was kind enough to take us in his van to the venue as he was only interested in making some
yuan. On the busy street I suddenly saw one of the men from the park. He disappeared quickly around the
bend and we followed. He arrived at a discrete gate and entered. As we were catching our breath, he
disappeared behind the gate. Not long after he reappeared with a few men and left the place.
Maddie suggested that we investigate the place. We gazed at the surroundings and spotted the piping along
the wall. Trembling with excitement we over, one by one. The place was dimly lit and we raced across to
the main building. We peeped through the windows. It looked like a factory but where was the trading
centre? I snuck around and spotted an open window. We gasped as we climbed in. It was more like an
operating theatre. There was machinery everywhere. The air had a foul smell. We saw rows of tables with
medical appliances and a load of industrial fridges. A long spiral staircase took us down to a dungeon. As we
walked down, we heard huffing noises and low growls.
BEARS!