There are 5 states, including Maine, that allow the sale of the body parts of their native black bears to the entire world. It is going to result in the desecration of our bears. It's already happening.
http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.or ... _bears.php
Asians believe that bear gall enhances male sexuality. Ok, so they also use it for a variety of medicinal purposes. But one principle use it for sexual performance. That is sick.
Bottom line (ultimately): Old Eastern men pay bucks for the gall bladders of our Maine black bears, so that they can have better sex…or any sex at all
. Asia has severely depleted their own bear populations. What animals are left are horribly kept in tight steel cages and "milked" for their entire life for the bile. They cannot move at all and live in one position for the sole purpose of providing a fluid that enhances Asian men's sexuality.
This is so disgusting to be despicable.
So now, and forever more, Asia is intensely focused on North America for bear body parts.
Stimulated by SantaFe Joe's post over on the "Window Dressing" thread, I have decided to release the crux of what I have learned about Maine's black bear body parts market (ALL the body parts…including paws).
So I excerpted a piece from the tiger link (about extinction driving prices up) Joe posted in that thread. Thanks again Joe. Here is the excerpt. It is about 2/3 of the way down the article.
“More recently, they have moved from websites to social media,” Fei said, noting that ivory tusks, rhino horns, bear gall bladders, hornbill beaks, and other products now turn up for sale on art collection websites, online forums such as Baidu Tieba, the mobile phone app Wechat, and even Facebook."
Anyway….it exemplifies what I wanted to say about Maine's wildlife agency's (MDIFW) lack of mention of bear gall bladders during Maine's last bear referendum.
Maine allows the sale of all black bear body parts…..without regard to the destination of those gall bladders.
The sale of Maine bear body parts, fuels the Asian demand for more North American bear gall bladders. It is a demand that we will find to be insatiable.
And regardless of how much you search, you will find little (if any at all) MDIFW-discussion regarding their stand on bear gall bladders….except that they allow their sale.
During Maine's Black Bear Referendum MDIFW did not want it known that they were allowing the sale of our native black bear (Ursus americana). Why else would they not talk about it? And they know that these gall bladders eventually reach the Asian market. And it is probably the ONLY market there is for bear gall bladders.
Here are a couple of related links:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... ade_2.html
http://www.bigwildlife.org/trafficking.php
I have a life-long friend who has killed several black bears over bait. Roger rents small acreages of forest land, assuring that he is the only bear hunter in that area. He told me that he sold one bear's gall bladder
right there in the woods for $250. These bladders have only one market, Asia. And the demand is INTENSE and UNRELENTING….JUST LIKE SEX! It is sick.
So you can see that MDIFW does not want to talk about the sale of bear gall bladders or paws….or any other bear body parts.
This is the tip of the iceberg. Undoubtedly, there are bear poaching rings operating in North America right now. All they have to do it take the entire bear, then all the evidence it gone. Recently, I asked a young Maine Game Warden if he had any knowledge of bear poaching rings in Maine. He replied that if he knew he would not tell me.
The Asian human pop is increasing; over the centuries Asians have destroyed their own bear pops and they need a source of bears.
North America has upwards of 3/4 million black bears.
http://www.defenders.org/black-bear/basic-facts
When I was working to help the referendum push, I interviewed several bear biologists. One was former Maine bear biologist, Mr. George Matula. He now teaches at Unity College in Maine. To my surprise, George favors the current Maine bear hunting laws. He characterized the current attitude toward the black bear simply as ……. "Bear farming."
Regarding the economics of Maine's bear hunt, here are the numbers current during "two referendums ago"…..in 2004. And of course, the huge money illustrates that economics do not justify a matter, only the dependence on the money.
http://www.mainebearbasics.com/bears_an ... conomy.php
At the time of the second referendum (2014), I also turned over to my Humane Society contacts, my short article that contained discussion, specifically of the gall bladder. It was the ONLY discussion anywhere about the gall bladder market. It never made it to press and so nothing was brought to the Maine public's attention on the sale of gall bladders. Part of the reason my short opinion did not make press was that the intensity of public opinion clogged the media.
What are your thoughts anyway ? Your opinion is as good as mine and may totally differ. George's and Gerry's do.
Robert
http://itsaboutnature.smugmug.com