Vancouver Airport security staff got a gruesome surprise early Sunday when they discovered three black-bear paws in a 39year-old man's carry-on luggage.
The Vancouver man, who was boarding a flight to China, is facing charges under federal and provincial legislation for smuggling animal parts, B.C. Conservation officer Sgt. Dave Jevons said Sunday.
While there are hunting seasons in the spring and fall for black bears, the sale and export of parts is illegal, said Jevons. "It is unusual [to find bear parts smuggled out of the Vancouver airport], but we know that trafficking of parts occurs with all types of wildlife," said Jevons.
"Certainly the market is typically in Asia for bear parts. It's bear paws, genitalia and gall bladders," he said.
The man was apprehended when he was checking in at about 2 a.m, detained by the Canadian Border Service Agency, who called the RCMP.
The B.C. Conservation office has now taken over the investigation, said Jevons.
The Vancouver man was arrested by a conservation officer, then released on a promise to appear in provincial court on Oct. 6 in Richmond, said Jevons.
He said the border service staff would have been alerted to the bear paws when the man's carryon luggage went through the Xray screening machine.
The bones in the three black bear paws would have looked very much like those in a human hand, said Jevons.
The bear paws - two front paws and a one rear paw, believed to be from two different black bears - were wrapped in aluminum foil.
The conservation office's investigation into the incident will continue, including establishing the origin of the bear parts.
Jevons said the provincial charges for trafficking in animal parts carry a maximum two-year sentence and a $250,000 fine.
Federal charges under wildlifetrafficking laws carry a maximum six-month sentence and $25,000 fine for a first-time incident.
Jevons couldn't immediately provide the number of bear-parts smuggling incidents the conservation office deals with annually.
Typically, the Conservation office is alerted to smuggling incidents through road checks and police files.
