Analyses of fecal and hair glucocorticoids to evaluate short- and long-term stress and recovery of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) removed from bile farms in China

Abstract Demand for traditional Chinese medicines has given rise to the practice of maintaining Asiatic black bears ( Ursus thibetanus ) in captivity to harvest bile. We evaluated hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) activity in Asiatic black bears on a bile farm in China by measuring cortisol in hair. We also monitored hair and fecal glucocorticoid metabolites as bears acclimated to improved husbandry at the Animals Asia Foundation China Bear Rescue Center (CBRC) after removal from other bile farms. Fecal samples were collected twice weekly for ∼1 year, and hair was obtained from bears upon arrival at the CBRC and again ⩾163 days later. Paired hair samples showed declines in cortisol concentrations of 12–88% in 38 of 45 (84%, p