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 for use in Traditional Chinese medicine, both here and abroad.
To further complicate matters, hunters from the National Rifle Association and its associates have defiantly resisted any positive movement to protect American wildlife from poachers’ bullets. Regulatory inconsistency makes national bear protection extremely difficult.
Although thirty-four states prohibit trade in bear gallbladders and bile, five states allow it freely; and the others either have no regulations or restrictions that prohibit trade in bear parts from bears taken within the state but allow commercialization of bear parts if the bear is killed elsewhere.
We ask that you prohibit trade in bear organs in all states, and protect the American black bear.
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
comments (202) 456-1111
switchboard (202) 456-1414
fax (202) 456-2461
e-mail: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Ken Salazar
Secretary of the Interior
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W. / Washington DC 20240
feedback@ios.doi.gov
Secretary_of_the_Interior@ios.doi.gov
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 for use in Traditional Chinese medicine, both here and abroad.
To further complicate matters, hunters from the National Rifle Association and its associates have defiantly resisted any positive movement to protect American wildlife from poachers’ bullets. Regulatory inconsistency makes national bear protection extremely difficult.
Although thirty-four states prohibit trade in bear gallbladders and bile, five states allow it freely; and the others either have no regulations or restrictions that prohibit trade in bear parts from bears taken within the state but allow commercialization of bear parts if the bear is killed elsewhere.
We ask that you prohibit trade in bear organs in all states, and protect the American black bear.
