Wildlife advocates say that Albany's failure to enact laws against bear poaching and the sale of bear gallbladders and bile has drawn the hunters to the state. Bear gallbladders are generally sold to Asia or to Asian communities in the US for use in traditional medicines, but the New York State Assembly recently introduced a bill to ban the "possession, sale, barter, offer, purchase, transportation, delivery, or receipt of bear gallbladder, bile, or any product, item, or substance containing, or labeled or advertised as containing, bear gallbladders or bile." Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal said, "Frankly it is embarrassing when New York State lags behind other states."
New York is one of just five states without any prohibition against the sale of bear parts, and wildlife advocacy group Born Free USA is asking people to write their legislators in support of the bill. Executive vice president Adam Roberts said, "It is really not so much about medicine any more as it is about money. A gallbladder can fetch hundreds of dollars at the initial point of sale and thousands of dollars later on." The body parts are traditionally used to cure things like fever and headaches. Then again, so is aspirin. Rosenthal said, "Now that we know, we are going to try to fix it."
