Post by: rasbo on December 23, 2009, 04:57:35 PM
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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Post by: MtnMuley on December 24, 2009, 10:33:53 AM
Post by: rasbo on December 24, 2009, 10:40:15 AM
Post by: littlebuf on December 24, 2009, 12:34:27 PM
Post by: MtnMuley on December 24, 2009, 12:43:03 PM
Post by: markts on December 24, 2009, 12:47:16 PM
Post by: MtnMuley on December 24, 2009, 12:51:49 PM
Post by: littlebuf on December 24, 2009, 12:52:26 PM
Post by: Machias on December 24, 2009, 06:22:49 PM
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on December 24, 2009, 07:04:40 PM
Post by: KillBilly on December 24, 2009, 08:59:37 PM
I know spelling spelling cops suck..but so does getting riled up about an animal that doesn't even have a gall bladder..... :chuckle: :chuckle:
Post by: Machias on December 24, 2009, 09:20:38 PM
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..... :chuckle: :chuckle:
:chuckle:
Post by: Bofire on December 24, 2009, 09:39:08 PM
Is that white stream emitting from the seagull coming from the "gull bladder"?
Carl
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on December 24, 2009, 09:50:20 PM
Post by: Kain on December 25, 2009, 05:44:25 PM
Quote
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)
Post by: gottatree on December 25, 2009, 06:07:34 PM
Post by: rasbo on December 25, 2009, 06:10:53 PM
Post by: Machias on December 25, 2009, 08:29:29 PM
I gave my pads and gall bladder to a elderly hero who's wife was Korean.Bragging point here he got me a signed book from Anthoney Herbert, one of the most decorated soldiers..Good book.Bill Pere loved to hunt bears,I came back late with a bear,it was dark and bill asked if he could have the gall bladder,I said sure we will go up in the morning and get it.He said no! lets go get it now,bill was 72 at the time.he put on a pair of slippers and said I'm ready.Damn bill,I said better get some shoes.Aw it cant be that far in.OK I said.So off we went,flashlights in hand half way up to where I gutted the bear he says guess it is a ways,poked me in the ass and said keep going.Bills lower foot and leg and wrist had been shot up by a sniper,he said everytime I tried to reach my radio the *censored* shot me.Well bill said, I finally got my radio and had a 10,000 lb bomb dropped on his ass.sorry for the long story got to reminiscing and thought ya might like to hear it.I miss bill he quit coming up there when you couldn't camp anymore
Sounds like a real hero!! Thanks for the story.
Post by: littlebuf on December 25, 2009, 08:40:01 PM
Post by: 300winmag on December 25, 2009, 09:03:26 PM
Post by: Ridgeratt on December 26, 2009, 05:52:55 PM
It says sold or traded, doesn't say anything about giving them away. :dunno:Quote3. 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)
While I work for the public school system In Spokane. Several years ago one of our High schools had a jewelry class going in an art class. I saw what the students were doing and I was going to gift/donate several sets of bear claws to the class so they could be made into items for them. I reviewed the laws in the game regs. and then went to the Region 1 office to check to make sure I could. ( Perhaps could have been infinite wisdom or ignorance on my part). The response from them was less than pleasant. It became such a headache wasn't worth my time. The sad part is even if I had and then someone saw them and did an investigation could have still broken the law.
Post by: FWilliams on December 27, 2009, 04:59:35 PM
Yeah Bill made a stupid choice in being involved in this, but he is not a p.o.s he really is a good guy. I don't think he deserves that stiff of a penalty for something like this. I totally agree with Machies. Its legal in Idaho they don't have a severe bear poaching problem. And I really don't be live the B.S. there worth that much.
has'nt Bill been in trouble before?