Bears in America need protection from the voracious
bear-parts trade, and the Bear Protection Act can provide that
security. The act—S. 1125, introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell
(R-KY) in the Senate, and H.R. 397, introduced by Rep. Elton
Gallegly (R-CA) in the House—would ban the import, export, and
interstate commerce in bear gallbladders, bile, and other viscera.
Currently there is only a patchwork of state bear-protection laws in
the United States, so a federal law is the only way to ensure a halt
to the slaughter of bears for their parts.
The Bear-Parts Trade
Demand for bear gallbladders, bile, and paws—in particular for
the traditional Chinese medicine market—has made bears around the
world more valuable dead than alive. The sum of saleable parts can
make a dead bear worth more than $10,000. An average-sized bear
gallbladder commands as much as $3,400 in Asia.
Populations of Asian bears have been virtually wiped out by the
lethal combination of habitat destruction and the bear-parts trade.
All Asian bear species are now listed as endangered, and
international trade in their parts is banned. So suppliers of bear
parts have turned to American black bears.
Targeting U.S. Bears
The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) affords protection only to
a few species and populations of bears: giant pandas, Mexican
grizzlies, Asiatic brown bears, Italian brown bears, and Baluchistan
bears (which are considered endangered); and the Louisiana black
bear and the grizzly bear (considered threatened). Individual states
manage bear populations and regulate trade in bear parts; eleven
states allow the sale of bear parts, 34 states ban the sale of them,
and five states have no laws on the trade. The growing illegal trade
in parts from poached bears is facilitated by this patchwork of
state laws. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents have arrested a
number of people in recent years for trading in bear parts. Whole
bear carcasses are being found with only their gallbladders and paws
missing. These parts are destined for Asia as well as to Asian
markets in the U.S. and Canada.
