Animal 0 Posté(e) le 3 décembre 2006 Nov 25, 2006 3:00 - Bear gallbladder sales spark concern, debate BALTIMORE - Harvesting the gallbladders of black bears is an ancient Asian medical practice that causes concern and debate in the United States and in Maryland, experts say. “It’s pretty widespread,” said Julie Janovsky, of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “Illegal poaching is going on throughout the country.” Two Maryland hunters pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to importing black bear bladders for use in Chinese herbal medicine. Authorities charged Terence Beaulac, 39, and Richard Dempsey, 38, after they were caught with nine bladders while returning from a hunting trip to Saskatchewan, Canada, in June 2005, according to an agreed-upon statement of facts. The men planned to sell the organs for between $50 to $100, prosecutors said. Beaulac and Dempsey face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. People opposed to the harvest of bear gallbladders say it is cruel and inhumane to animals. Former U.S. Rep. Helen Bentley, who fought against the practice while in Congress, said the practice is a “sin.” “It’s sinful that they kill these big beautiful animals to get their bladders to sell in China and Korea,” she said. But Tony Nette, the manager of Wildlife Resources in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, where selling bear gallbladders is legal, said the body parts are considered to have a good medicinal value by many Asian societies. “It’s used to treat everything from headaches to hemorrhoids. And apparently it’s pretty effective,” he said. “In Nova Scotia, if you kill the bear, you have the right to use the parts.” Legal or not, the bear gallbladder trade is noticeable across the United States, said Ed Grace, Special Agent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Catching people for gallbladders is not an unusual occurrence,” he said. lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com http://www.examiner.com/a-418840~Bear_gallbladder_sales_spark_concern__debate.html Partager ce message Lien à poster Partager sur d’autres sites
