A B.C. man is facing charges after being caught trying to smuggle dismembered black bear paws out of Vancouver International Airport.
The 39-year-old man was attempting to board a flight to China at around 2 a.m. when airport security officials found three bear paws in his possession.
“They discovered it in his carry-on luggage, likely when it went through the x-ray machine,” said B.C. conservation officer Sgt. Dave Jevons.
The furry paws were still attached to a portion of a leg and came from at least two different black bears, he said.
The man was arrested by the RCMP. The B.C. Conservation Office has taken over the investigation and is trying to determine where the bears came from.
Jevons said B.C. allows the hunting of black bears during season, but it is illegal to import, export or trade in bear parts in Canada.
The man, a permanent resident, was detained and then released on a promise to appear. He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 6.
He faces charges under the federal Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA) and the B.C. Wildlife Act.
Bear paws are one of the most-trafficked bear parts, along with bear gall bladder and genitalia.
The paws are in demand in China, where they are prized as an exotic delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat various illnesses from cancer to arthritis to impotence.
Source: http://www.theprovince.com
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