Traders caught selling bear parts face stiffer terms

TRADERS caught selling illegal bear gall-bladders and bile are to face stiffer sentences, representatives from the Agriculture and Fisheries Department revealed at the world's first symposium on the medicinal trade of bear products.

At present, those caught with unlicensed bear parts face a maximum fine of $25,000 for a first offence, and up to $50,000 and six months' imprisonment for a repeat offence.

The sentences will be more than trebled by the end of the year as the department seeks to stamp out the illicit trade, a spokesman for the department confirmed.

The symposium, being held in Seattle in the United States, falls under the jurisdiction of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Traditionally in Hong Kong, bears' gall-bladders and bile have been used as remedies for liver problems, heart trouble, colds and even as an ointment for haemorrhoids.

In a clampdown on the illegal sales, the department has inspected 1,756 shops, representing 80 per cent of Chinese medicinal shops in Hong Kong, so far this year.

Thirty-eight items believed to be illegal bear gall-bladders were recovered during the inspections, along with 0.25 kilograms of bear gall-bladder powder. Arrangements for prosecutions are under way.