gall bladder buyer busted

[rasbo]

Trafficking in bear gall bladders
draws fines and a jail sentence

OLYMPIA - Investigations by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) detectives into illegal trafficking in bear gall bladders have resulted in hefty fines for two eastern Washington men and a year-long jail sentence for one of them.

William A. Page, 63, a Curlew meat cutter, was sentenced Dec. 18 in Ferry County Superior Court to a year in jail plus $3,000 in fines after being convicted a month earlier of six counts of unlawful trafficking in wildlife.  

Page, of 49 Bjork Ranch Rd. in Curlew, also forfeited $1,600 he paid to undercover WDFW officers for the gall bladders.  

Mike Cenci, WDFW deputy chief of enforcement, said Page admitted to buying 35 gall bladders in 2007 and 2008, including 17 he purchased from undercover officers during the course of the department’s investigation.  

Some people believe bear gall bladders have healing powers, Cenci said.  He noted that black market prices for galls can range between $100 to thousands of dollars, depending on whether the sales take place locally or overseas.  

"Buying or selling bear gall bladders is a crime in this state, because it creates an increased demand for wildlife and their body parts," Cenci said.  "That can threaten the long-term sustainability of populations that can’t withstand commercialization."  

In a separate case, the Spokane County Superior Court fined the owner of a Spokane food market $1,000 on Dec. 22 for two felony convictions of illegally trafficking in wildlife.

A Spokane jury found Jason Yon, 51, owner of JAX Market on East Mission Street, guilty of purchasing four bear gall bladders from WDFW officers during an undercover investigation in 2008.  In addition to the fine, Yon forfeited $800 he paid to buy the gall bladders.  

Cenci said WDFW relies heavily on tips from hunters and people in local communities about illegal wildlife-trafficking operations.  He asks that people who believe they have witnessed these crimes call WDFW Enforcement at (360) 902-2936.



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[MtnMuley]

Page's deal has been going on for quite a while and I believe this was the third go-around (charges) that finally proved to be guilty.  I'm sure glad they stuck him, and was hoping it would be a lot more!   We, as sportsmen/women, lost a LOT of our animals due to this POS over the years.

[rasbo]

I agree,he should be nailed big time..Some are opposed to the reverse stings but something had to lead them there in the first place...It would be nice to keep the parts and legally sell them, but thats when greed sets in and ,you soon find whole dead critters with organs teeth paws,tusks etc lying around the countryside

[littlebuf]

Ive always wondered, my friend has a Korean wife and the bear gull bladder is something she is always interested in. could i legally give them the gull bladder from a bear i kill or is it completely restricted to do anything with bear organs because of all the trouble they are associated with?

[MtnMuley]

buf, I'd personally steer clear of any bear gall bladder transactions.

[markts]

I dont know if giving one away constitutes a transaction :dunno:Mark

[MtnMuley]

I'm not saying that it is illegal to GIVE one away.  I don't know for sure.  However, to give someone something is a "transaction", I do know that.

[littlebuf]

i would never think of selling it to them, wouldn't it be kinda like giving your buddy some steaks? i think the best way would be to attach your wild i d  and a note to go with it just in case. ant body know for sure

[Machias]

What a COMPLETE crock of crap.  They are so @$$ backwards in this state.  It is PROVEN, 1000%, in the states where the sale of gall bladders are legal they sell for next to NOTHING.  Therefore the whole "it drives more bears to be killed" is complete BUNK.  In states where gall bladders are sold by legit hunters they bring less then $25-$45.  Not worth poachers time or the butt pain of getting caught.  However in states such as this place you can see up above what the price of poached bladders go for.  Therefore making the risk worthwhile.  Therefore increasing the number of bears being snared or killed just for their bladders.  In almost every instance this state does things for ALL the wrong reasons and all the bad consequences occur.  

[Michelle_Nelson]

I agree with Machias.  

[KillBilly]

Lest the Sea Gulls become over hunted, I changed the title to "Gall Bladder" instead of Gull Bladder

I know spelling spelling cops suck..but so does getting riled up about an animal that doesn't even have a gall bladder.....

[Machias]

Lest the Sea Gulls become over hunted, I changed the title to "Gall Bladder" instead of Gull Bladder

I know spelling spelling cops suck..but so does getting riled up about an animal that doesn't even have a gall bladder.....

 

[Bofire]

People talk about "using every part" of the animal, I really do not see the big deal IF the bear is taken legally. If poaching really occurs because of it, I guess that is different.
Is that white stream emitting from the seagull coming from the "gull bladder"?
Carl

[DOUBLELUNG]

I'm conflicted with this.  A key game recovery tool a hundred years ago was the ban on market hunting.  However, I hate to see guys who legally harvest an animal get dinged for selling nonedible parts.

[Kain]

It says sold or traded, doesn't say anything about giving them away. 

3. Purchasing or Selling
Wildlife or Their
Parts:
Non-edible portions of
wild animals and game
birds may be sold or
traded (antlers, hides,
teeth), except for bighorn
sheep; mountain goat;
velvet antlers of deer or
elk; or the gall bladder,
claws, and teeth of bear,
except those claws
or teeth permanently
attached to a full bear
skin or mounted bear
or the raw fur of a wild
animal or the wild animal
itself, if the wild animal,
has been trapped in
this state with a body
gripping trap.
4. Wildlife Found Dead:
You may remove and dispose of wildlife found
dead on your property or an adjoining public
roadway, but you must first notify WDFW. Dead
wildlife can only be removed for disposal, not for
personal use or consumption.
(WAC 246.203.121)