Animal trafficking ring suspected in B.C. after bear killed, paws cut off

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – A conservation officer in northern British Columbia suspects an animal parts trafficking ring may be behind a gruesome discovery north of Prince George.

The Conservation Officer Service said a grizzly bear carcass was found beside Highway 97 on Wednesday.

All four of the paws on the bear had been removed. Grizzly hunting across British Columbia was banned last year.

Conservation officer Eamon McArthur said the animal appeared to have been killed sometime in the past week.

"It was definitely shot, and with the paws having been taken, it leads us to believe it was probably being used for trafficking in parts," McArthur said.

It's not known if the bear was killed where it was found or if it was dumped on the roadside, he said.

"It wasn't easily observable just where it was sitting in the ditch," McArthur said. "The guy who eventually called it in said he though it was just a dead moose."

Anyone caught exporting, importing or trafficking in bear paws, bear gall bladders or genitals could face a six-month jail term, $250,000 fine, or both, if convicted.

Some bear parts are used in traditional broths and medicines and can fetch thousands of dollars when sold overseas.