In Oregon the same year, a man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for leading a nine-man operation that illegally killed bears. And in Salt Lake City, a man was arrested for buying black bear gallbladders from an undercover police officer. The bears are usually shot and left for vultures after their gallbladder and bear paws are removed. Bear paws are considered a delicacy served as soup. The claws are used in jewelry.
Some paws even wind up as ashtrays.
According to the Handbook of Traditional Tibetan Drugs, over a dozen prescriptions call for bear bile to treat such ailments as stomach pain and diarrhea, kidney and hip discomfort, painful or watery eyes, headaches and lethargy. In China and Taiwan, bear bile is also used as an ingredient in luxury shampoos, tonics and even hemorrhoid creams. Oregon retiree Wayne Smith, who was charged with being part of a poaching ring in Oregon in 1998, said he used bear gallbladders to treat crushing headaches. It's bitter as hell. But I guarantee it does make you feel better.