Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Burnaby Woman Fined $5,200 For Illegally Buying Bear Gallbladders

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 May, 2016 11:08 AM
    VANCOUVER — A Burnaby, B.C., woman has been fined $5,200 after illegally buying bear gallbladders in an attempt to treat her severely-ill son's seizures.
     
    Yon Kim was sentenced on Tuesday for two counts of trafficking in bear gallbladders under the B.C. Wildlife Act in Port Coquitlam provincial court.
     
    Det. Sgt. Darcy MacPhee of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Kim held a traditional belief that the bile contained in the gallbladders would help her adult son's condition.
     
    "He suffered pretty much constant seizures. He sounded like a very ill young man," MacPhee said in an interview. "After she had treated her son with it, it had no effect. It did not help him."
     
    He said Kim was charged following a six-month investigation that began in October 2014. She pleaded guilty to the two charges in February.
     
    MacPhee said the service began investigating Kim after she called a bear hunters' association in Wyoming looking for bear gallbladders. The association alerted state authorities, who contacted officers in B.C. after learning she lived in the province.
     
    He said the Conservation Officer Service launched an undercover operation in which officers met with Kim and another woman, Yunhee "Sarah" Kim, before ultimately selling them black bear parts in Merritt. The two women are not related.
     
    Yon Kim also purchased gallbladders on another occasion in Coquitlam, MacPhee said.
     
    Sarah Kim, an acupuncturist, was fined $22,400 in March after pleading guilty to seven charges related to trafficking in bear gallbladders and paws, as well as deer meat.
     
    MacPhee said one reason that Sarah Kim's fine was higher was because she prescribed bear bile to clients, while Yon Kim used the bile only in an effort to treat her severely-ill adult son.
     
    He said conservation officers are extremely concerned about people buying wildlife parts for any reason and it can have a severe impact over time on animal populations.
     
    MacPhee added that cases involving bear gallbladders are not rare.
     
    "We're pretty concerned. It definitely isn't a once-in-a-while thing. It is a problem."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Nova Scotia Veto Over Judges Salary Doesn't Compromise Independence: Minister

    The Canadian Bar Association Nova Scotia says amendments included in the Financial Measures Act legislation tabled on Monday would "seriously erode" judicial independence.

    Nova Scotia Veto Over Judges Salary Doesn't Compromise Independence: Minister

    Rob Ford's Nephew To Run For Council Seat Vacated After Former Mayor's Death

    Rob Ford's Nephew To Run For Council Seat Vacated After Former Mayor's Death
    Michael Ford says he has resigned as trustee with the Toronto District School Board to seek election as a councillor for Ward 2.  

    Rob Ford's Nephew To Run For Council Seat Vacated After Former Mayor's Death

    Tim Hortons' Billionaire Co-Founder Appealing Blistering Ruling In Sex-assault Suit

    Tim Hortons' Billionaire Co-Founder Appealing Blistering Ruling In Sex-assault Suit
    The billionaire co-founder of Tim Hortons is appealing a court decision that allows a woman's sexual-assault lawsuit against him to go to trial, his lawyer said Thursday.

    Tim Hortons' Billionaire Co-Founder Appealing Blistering Ruling In Sex-assault Suit

    Surrey Vies For Global 'Intelligent Community Of The Year 2016' Title

    Surrey Vies For Global 'Intelligent Community Of The Year 2016' Title
     For the second year in a row, Surrey has been named one of ICF’s “Top 7 Intelligent Communities of the Year” and is in the running for 2016’s top spot.

    Surrey Vies For Global 'Intelligent Community Of The Year 2016' Title

    Exclusive Fundraisers, Premier's Allowance Not Conflicts: Commissioner

    Exclusive Fundraisers, Premier's Allowance Not Conflicts: Commissioner
    British Columbia's conflict commissioner has ruled that exclusive fundraisers and a stipend paid to the premier by the B.C. Liberal Party are not conflicts because they do not amount to a 'private interest.'

    Exclusive Fundraisers, Premier's Allowance Not Conflicts: Commissioner

    Canada's Top-Earning Families Claimed Majority Of Education Tax Credits: PBO

    Canada's Top-Earning Families Claimed Majority Of Education Tax Credits: PBO
    The parliamentary budget officer says in 2015, families that were among the top 20 per cent of earners received 37.7 per cent of the total credits for education, textbook and tuition expenses.

    Canada's Top-Earning Families Claimed Majority Of Education Tax Credits: PBO