According to Robinson, at the time approximately 10,000 Asiatic black bears were caged at farms similar to this one, in conditions many animal welfare groups consider horrific.
[1] According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, only about 15,000–20,000 Asiatic black bears are alive in the wild in China, which would qualify them for the highest protection described by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
[1] Professor Peter Li believes that Robinson "single-handedly alerted the world" to the cruel practice of bear farming.
In 2000, the Sichuan Forestry Department signed a pledge with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to release 500 bears from the bile farms with the worst conditions.
This marked the first time an agency of the Chinese government had come to an official agreement with an animal welfare organization.