Spring 2004 Volume 53 Number 2
 

ABOUT THE COVER

Are bears safe anywhere on earth? Not as long as there is a bounty on their heads... or in some cases, on their internal organs. Alaskan bears, including this brown bear photographed by AWI's president, Cathy Liss, are killed for sport by trophy hunters, and are indiscriminately slaughtered for their gallbladders, which are used in traditional medicine in Asian communities in the United States and abroad. Poaching for bear parts remains a nationwide problem exemplified by a recent undercover investigation and series of arrests for bear poaching and illegal commercialization of bear parts in Alaska. Almost simultaneously, a similar wildlife law enforcement operation was announced in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia some 4,000 miles away. For some populations, there is just as much risk from the sport hunter. Grizzly bears in British Columbia (BC), for instance, increasingly have become imperiled by hunters' bullets and habitat destruction. Thankfully, the European Union has stopped allowing grizzly imports from BC in an effort to stabilize and strengthen the province's population.

 

AS WE GO TO PRESS
USDA has just filed a 108-page complaint against dog dealer C. C. Baird (see Fall 2003 AWI Quarterly) alleging hundreds of violations of the Animal Welfare Act including violation of about 40 different regulations. To our horror, thirteen research facilities had continued purchasing animals from Baird; they will have to go elsewhere as USDA is temporarily suspending Baird’s license to sell animals for experimentation. Look for a full report in the next issue.

 

Does this golden eagle have to keep an eye out for government trappers? (See story)