Help Stop the Poaching of U.S. Bears

 Earth Day is officially marked tomorrow, April 22, but we are constantly reminded that every day should be Earth Day when the environment and particular species are threatened.  Here is yet another  example.
 We may be "used to" hearing horror stories about poaching of animals for "medicinal" parts in far off places like Africa and India, but who would think we are now facing a similar explosion of exploitation here in the U.S.  Bears are being slaughtered for their gallbladders.
 Defenders of Wildlife is asking citizens to contact their Representatives and urge them to cosponsor to the Bear Protection Act   H.R. 5534 that would ban the trade of bear parts at the Federal level.
 Send a notice to your Congressperson

Letter from Defenders of Wildlife -

Many bears are killed just for their gallbladders, which are used in traditional Asian medicines to treat a variety of illnesses. Although accepted alternatives exist in traditional medicines, demand for bear parts is soaring.

As Asian bear populations have fallen, poachers are turning to bears in the U.S. to satisfy a flourishing black market. Each year, 30,000 or more bears are killed illegally in the U.S.

Poachers target hibernating bears in their dens and even track radio-collared bears that are part of scientific studies. And law enforcement agents report grisly findings: bear carcasses left in the woods with only the gallbladder and other parts removed.

Representatives Raul Grijalva (AZ) and John Campbell (CA) have introduced legislation that will help bears by banning the trade in gallbladders at the federal level.

The Bear Protection Act will end a patchwork of state laws that creates an enforcement nightmare and allows the illegal killing of bears to continue.

Send a notice to your Congressperson