Conservation officers are investigating the discovery of dozens of severed bears paws on a forestry road in the BC town of Anglemont on Shuswap Lake..Officials posted on Twitter and Facebook saying officers had gone to the scene on Forest Service Road 695 and collected evidence, and would like assistance from the public to help identify who may have disposed of the parts..Bear paws, genitals, and gall bladders – which are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world – are often trafficked in Canada for what some claim to be “medicinal purposes.”.A bowl of bear paw soup can sell for $300 on low end, and up to $1,000 on the high end of the black market. An individual claw can be purchased online for anywhere from $30-$170..“A decline in wild populations of black bears in Asia has led to the poaching and trade of Canadian black bear bile and gall bladders for the traditional medicine market in Asia. Research has also shown that traditional medicine, containing bear bile, is being sold within Canada,” saidWorld Animal Protection..If anyone in Canada is convicted of exporting or importing bear paws, gall bladders, or genitals, they can face large fines or potential jail time..In 2016, nine charges were laid against a man for trafficking bear paws and gall bladders in Cache Creek and 100 Mile House. He was later convicted and fined a total of $18,000..Following an investigation that began in early 2017 when it was discovered that a restaurant in Sandy Bay, Sask., was buying illegal black bear parts, five people were convicted of illegal wildlife trafficking in Saskatchewan and Ontario..A Toronto woman was charged and convicted of unlawfully possessing black bear gallbladders and fined $3,000. The four from Saskatchewan were convicted of unlawfully trafficking bear parts, their fines totalled $67,370..“Those involved in the trade, they don’t stop at provincial boundaries,” said a senior member of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources..Anyone with information regarding poaching and illegal animal trafficking in British Columbia is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline with the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
Conservation officers are investigating the discovery of dozens of severed bears paws on a forestry road in the BC town of Anglemont on Shuswap Lake..Officials posted on Twitter and Facebook saying officers had gone to the scene on Forest Service Road 695 and collected evidence, and would like assistance from the public to help identify who may have disposed of the parts..Bear paws, genitals, and gall bladders – which are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world – are often trafficked in Canada for what some claim to be “medicinal purposes.”.A bowl of bear paw soup can sell for $300 on low end, and up to $1,000 on the high end of the black market. An individual claw can be purchased online for anywhere from $30-$170..“A decline in wild populations of black bears in Asia has led to the poaching and trade of Canadian black bear bile and gall bladders for the traditional medicine market in Asia. Research has also shown that traditional medicine, containing bear bile, is being sold within Canada,” saidWorld Animal Protection..If anyone in Canada is convicted of exporting or importing bear paws, gall bladders, or genitals, they can face large fines or potential jail time..In 2016, nine charges were laid against a man for trafficking bear paws and gall bladders in Cache Creek and 100 Mile House. He was later convicted and fined a total of $18,000..Following an investigation that began in early 2017 when it was discovered that a restaurant in Sandy Bay, Sask., was buying illegal black bear parts, five people were convicted of illegal wildlife trafficking in Saskatchewan and Ontario..A Toronto woman was charged and convicted of unlawfully possessing black bear gallbladders and fined $3,000. The four from Saskatchewan were convicted of unlawfully trafficking bear parts, their fines totalled $67,370..“Those involved in the trade, they don’t stop at provincial boundaries,” said a senior member of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources..Anyone with information regarding poaching and illegal animal trafficking in British Columbia is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline with the BC Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
