China bear bile IPO plan rouses ire
A grizzly bear walks on snow near Obsidian Creek in Yellowstone National Park. File photo.
Image by: HO / REUTERS
Image by: HO / REUTERS
A share listing plan by a company that sells tonics made with bear bile has provoked a storm of criticism in China's online media from animal rights groups and celebrities.
Reports Friday said dozens of well-known entertainers, writers and other celebrities signed a petition to the China Securities Regulatory Commission urging it to withhold approval for the initial public offering by Guizhentang, a Chinese medicines maker.
Hundreds of thousands of comments on "weibo," the Chinese version of Twitter, blasted the company for extracting bile from the bears. A company spokesman contacted Friday refused comment.
Animal rights are gaining increasing attention in China, with public figures like basketball star Yao Ming and actor Jackie Chan speaking out against eating shark fins.
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