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Don’t Grin and Bear It Adam M. Roberts The Endangered Species Act provides direct protection to the American black bear in Louisiana and neighboring states, the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states plus Mexico, and the Baluchistan bear (a subspecies of Asiatic black bear) in Iran and Pakistan. But greater protection is necessary to prevent other bear species – including the American black bear throughout its range – from ever becoming endangered and even extinct. All eight bear species face a variety of threats: habitat destruction, over-hunting, depletion of food sources, and discharge of toxic pollutants. The large, growing demand for bear parts and derivatives in traditional Asian medicine also puts enormous pressure on bear populations. In Asia, endangered Asiatic black bears are confined in coffin-like steel cages to have their valuable bile siphoned out regularly through a steel catheter. In America and across the globe, wild bears have been found slaughtered with their gallbladders ripped out and their carcasses left to rot unceremoniously. Bears would benefit greatly from a sound national policy against the trade in bear parts. Representative Gallegly (R-CA) has introduced H.R. 397, The Bear Protection Act (BPA), which is intended to eliminate the incentive to kill bears illegally and profit by the sale of their internal organs. The BPA simply prohibits the import, export and interstate commerce of bear viscera (most notably the coveted gallbladder and bile), or any product, item, substance containing, or labeled or advertised as containing bear viscera. Senator McConnell (R-KY) will soon introduce a companion bill in the Senate. In the 106th Congress, the Senate unanimously passed Senator McConnell’s bill but the House failed to act under the Resources Committee’s leadership of Representative Young (R-AK). Without a national prohibition on trade in bear parts, an interstate and international illicit trade flourishes. The gallbladder of an endangered Asian bear is visually identical to the gallbladder of an American bear; therefore, traders can “launder” illegal endangered bear parts with parts from other bear species. Similarly, it is impossible to tell the state of origin of a bear gallbladder within the United States. This enables smugglers to acquire gallbladders unlawfully in one state, transport them to a state where commercialization of bear parts is permissible and then sell the gallbladders, falsely claiming that they are legal. These are significant loopholes that are exploited by bear poachers and profiteers and would be closed with enactment of the BPA. The Bear Protection Act currently has 142 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and hopefully that list will continue to grow. Passage of this vital legislation will be an important tool in preventing endangered bear species from becoming extinct and in preventing threatened bear species from become endangered in the first place. For more information, contact: Adam Roberts at (202) 337-2334 or adam@saplonline.org Reprinted with permission of ESA Today: The Newsmagazine of the Endangered Species Coalition. Click here to read the entire Summer 2001 issue. |