Dharamshala: Two persons were arrested with a bear gall bladder on 22 December in Dharamshala, Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, officials said.

Acting on a tip-off the operation was jointly conducted by Himachal Pradesh Police, the Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). WTI officers acted as decoy customers in this operation.

The accused persons were booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Both the accused are residents of the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh.

Bear bile is utilized in the traditional Chinese Medicine, Unani & Ayurvedic Medicine practices for treating various ailments.

The seized bear bile is presumed to be of Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), a Schedule I species protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and listed in the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

“Poaching is a serious threat to the Asiatic Black Bear population in Himachal Pradesh, due to the bear bile demand in the Traditional Medicine practices” Amlan Dutta, WTI official who had assisted in the operation said.

WTI with support from the World Society for the protection of Animals (WSPA) has been carrying out enforcement initiatives to curb the bear bile trade in the state of Himachal Pradesh since 2005.