A new rule that took effect this year in New York state is designed to stop the illegal sale of black bear parts for use in Asian medicine and cooking. While the sale of parts is still allowed, hunters will now have to document that they were taken legally.
The tiny village of Keene, N.Y., in the Adirondack Mountains is part of a trade network that supplies Asian apothecaries and restaurants from New York City to Seoul, South Korea.
"We're one of the largest buyers in the East," says Bud Piserchia, who runs North Country Taxidermy, filled with deer heads and stuffed bobcats. His main business is mounting wild animal trophies.
But every year, Piserchia also collects as many as 150 tiny black bear gall bladders. His clients are mostly Koreans from New York City.
