Some Asian cultures use a special guillotine to amputate bear paws, sometimes while the bear is still alive. The animal is often first beaten- as there is a belief that the adrenaline rushing through the body makes the meat more tender. They also eat the rest of the bear- by lowering into a fire, cooking it alive and dying a slow death.
China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Korea and Japan all consider bear paw soup a delicacy. It is believed that the person who consumes bear paws will acquire the strength and vigor of a bear. Front paws are more expensive because they are more tender- especially the left one which the bear licks the most.The back paws are cheaper because they are tougher from being walked on.
Stop this barbaric, horrific cruely inflicted on bears in Asia for a Sichuan delicacy of Bear Paw Soup. It's not legal, but it is tolerated and accepted socially more than it should be. We ask for more arrests and harsher penalities to stop this brutal tradition and to stop the black market trade of bear products.
SOURCE:http://mingomorvin.com/bui/wildlifearticles/?p=31
