J. Larson: The Bear Protection Act

To the Editor:

Demand for bear parts has already decimated Asian bear populations including the endangered Asiatic black bear. Recent research shows that bear gallbladders and bile are being sold on both legal and illegal markets in the United States. Gallbladders from North American bears are being obtained illegally and either fraudulently marketed here or exported, while gallbladders and prepared products containing bile from endangered Asian bears are brought into the U.S. illegally and sold, primarily for use in traditional Asian medicine.

Across North America, black bears have been found with gallbladders removed, paws chopped off and bodies left to rot, all to satisfy a demand in Asian communities both here and abroad. A gallbladder might fetch thousands of dollars on the black market, making it as valuable by weight as gold or illicit drugs.

Please urge your Representative(s) to co-sponsor and pass the Bear Protection Act, H.R. 3480, which if enacted would prohibit the trade in bear gallbladders and bear bile.

-Jeff Larson
Fargo