Jaguar Spirit Documentary
Jaguar Spirit
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Traditional medicine
Ending commercial exploitation
We aim to end the cruel exploitation and commodification of wild animals used in Traditional Medicine.
The use of wildlife as traditional medicine is a phenomenon that occurs across the world and has been of cultural importance for many people and societies for millennia. These practices remain widespread and varied, involving a wide array of species across all taxonomic groups.
Primarily, traditional medicine uses plants and minerals to heal and cure illness, however a small number of preparations contain wild animal parts. This is causing untold animal suffering and cruelty, while threatening the survival of multiple species.
We are working to transform the traditional medicine industry, so the use of wild animals in medicinal and health products is no longer socially acceptable and is replaced with herbal (or other humane) alternatives.
World Animal Protection is working to change the system that allows exploitation of wildlife for traditional medicine by:
- Changing laws and policies governing legal and illegal wildlife farming.
- Shifting attitudes and behaviours of multiple stakeholders to support animal welfare and humane alternatives.
- Demonstrating reputational risk for companies that continue to profit from cruelty, leading them to change policies, and publicly support wildlife friendly business practices as a way out of exploitation.
- Ensuring the South African government is held accountable to its commitment to phase out captive lion farming.
- Moving Vietnam and China to commit to the last generation of bears in captivity by introducing a breeding ban and more support for plant-based alternatives.
World Animal Protection, in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and University of Oxford, has released evidence that provides new insight into the use of wildlife as Traditional Chinese Medicine (“TCM”) - with hopes of a solution that could protect wildlife from suffering and extinction.
TAWAP.org provides alternatives to wild animal preparations, using plant and mineral based ingredients instead.
Captive lion breeding
8,000-12,000 lions and thousands of other big cats, including tigers and cheetahs, are bred and kept in captivity in more than 350 facilities in South Africa. These predators are bred for commercial purposes, including interactive tourism, “canned” hunting, lion bone trade and live exports.
Protecting bears
We've been working for over 30 years to protect bears from being cruelly exploited for their bile, for use in traditional medicine, using painful and inhumane procedures endured over a lifetime in captivity in filthy and cramped conditions no bigger than a phone booth.
Related content
Bear Bile Industry
Bears in Asia are captured for their bile, which is extracted using cruel, painful procedures and sold as traditional medicine. But the bear bile industry is unnecessary – inexpensive synthetic & herbal alternatives to bear bile are readily available.
Ending commercial exploitation
Wildlife
Together we can drive down consumer demand and expose the lies of businesses that profit from cruelly exploiting wild animals.
Wild animals used for medicine FAQs
What animals are used in traditional medicine?
A wide range of animals are used in traditional medicines, ranging from insects and birds to fish and mammals. Officially, there are 70 different wild animals used in traditional Chinese medicine listed in Pharmacopoeia. However, scientists have evidence of over 2,200 species being used.
Many animals used in traditional medicine are vulnerable or endangered. These include tigers, pangolins, rhinoceros, Reeves turtles, Tokay geckos, seahorses, pipefish, and many more. Some animals, like Saiga antelope, are still used despite being extinct in the wild and only found in captivity.
Why are animals used in traditional medicine?
Traditional medicine was developed before modern medicine when humans used the plants and animals around them to create healing potions. Many communities have historical and cultural beliefs based on these traditional cures, still believing to this day that they possess unique therapeutic properties — despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
Such strong and continued beliefs in the healing efficacy of animal parts, like tiger bones and bear bile, make them high-value items and generate significant profit for suppliers. This fuels both legal and illegal wildlife trade, which in turn keeps traditional practices alive as suppliers continue to promote their use to line their pockets.
What animal products are used in medicine?
Traditional medicine uses many different parts of animals, including bones, shells, scales, horns, skin, gallbladders, eggs, and more.
However, most animals are targeted for one body part only. For example, both antelopes and rhinoceros are poached for their horns alone, while bears are killed just for their gallbladders. These practices are cruel and wasteful — and often illegal.
Are drugs made from animals?
Many modern drugs include animal ingredients. These can be active ingredients (drugs) or inactive ingredients such as those used to create tablets or capsules — think gelatine, lactose, and shellac.
Unlike traditional medicine, animals used in pharmaceutical medicine are not endangered, highly regulated, and only used when there are no or few alternatives. Researchers are also actively trying to reduce their use to create vegan-friendly medication.
Traditional medicine, on the other hand, uses the parts of endangered animals to create unproven medicine. Illegal hunting, smuggling, and/or domestic trafficking are common to meet market demands for traditional ingredients.
Do we need animals for medicine?
From a modern medicine perspective, animals are only used where necessary and researchers are working to reduce animal use in medicine. Synthetic insulin has replaced insulin from pigs, for example.
Traditional medicines, with their long social and cultural histories, are slower to change. However, research suggests that customers using traditional medicine would be happy to move away from animal-based medicine if they had safe, effective herbal alternatives.
What animals do traditional healers use?
Traditional medicine uses a range of — often highly endangered and vulnerable — animals. Those most commonly used by traditional healers include insects and bivalves (molluscs), though birds, fish, and mammals are also used extensively.
In total, scientists estimate that traditional healers use the body parts of around 2,275 species. Examples of animals used by traditional healers include leopards, red deer, bears, turtles, and crocodiles, though this list is in no way exhaustive.