Bears Need Our Help! Pass the Bear Protection Act of 2008 - The Petition Site

Bears Need Our Help! Pass the Bear Protection Act of 2008

H.R. 5534: Bear Protection Act of 2008:To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to extend its protections to bears illegally harvested for their viscera in the same manner as with respect to prohibited wildlife species, and for other purposes.
Visit: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5534

Petition Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: World Society for the Protection of Animals

Each year wild bears are killed so that their parts can be sold in Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) shops in the United States and internationally. In a recent undercover investigation, the World Society for the Protection of Animals found that the trade in intact gallbladders had actually increased since their previous investigation in 2000.

Unfortunately, state laws pertaining to the trade in bear parts are inconsistent and, in some cases, non-existent. The solution is clear: a unifying federal law is the only viable solution for bears! U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) recently introduced H.R. 5534, the Bear Protection Act of 2008, to protect North American bears. The Act specifically bans the import, export and interstate trade of all bear parts and products, while closing loopholes in existing state laws.

PLEASE SIGN! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/918445507

North American bears are killed for the interstate
trade in bear parts and products. Already threatened by habit degradation
and hunting, these bears face further imperilment from criminal poaching.

Tens of thousands of bears are annually destroyed to harvest their parts for
Traditional Asian Medicine in the United States and abroad.

H.R. 5534, the Bear Protection Act of 2008, which seeks to conserve bear populations by banning the import, export, and interstate trade of bear viscera and items.

Federal lawmakers must take a stronger stand against illicit poaching.
Ambiguous state laws make smuggling a cinch. Gallbladders camouflaged as
chocolate figs or concealed in coffee to mask odor are ferried to states
where their sale is permissible.

American poachers profit from a prolific Asian bear bile market. Traditional
Oriental Medicine uses bile acid to treat maladies from headaches,
hemorrhoids, and bone fractures to heart disease, poor vision, and sexual
dysfunction. Thousands of Asiatic Black (moon) Bears spend their entire
lives smashed in iron cages barely larger than their bodies. Farmers cut a
permanent hole into the bear's belly to drain bile from their gallbladders.

The farms have come under fire for profound cruelty. In addition, China's
moon bear numbers continue to drop, with less than 20,000 in the wild. Both
factors open the door for American poachers to smuggle bear parts overseas.

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