Ontario Resident Fined $40,000 for Unlawful Possession & Export of Black Bear Gall Bladders

TORONTO, March 26, 2004 – A Toronto business owner was convicted and fined today in the Ontario Court of Justice, Provincial Division (Old City Hall), Toronto. Mr. Choo-Sin (William) Chang, age 64, a resident of Richmond Hill, Ontario, today plead guilty to one charge of unlawfully possessing black bear gall bladders at his place of business in Toronto, and one charge of unlawfully exporting black bear gall bladders from Canada to the United States. Mr. Chang was ordered to pay fines of $32,000 plus a mandatory victim surcharge of $8,000, resulting in a total penalty of $40,000.

Charges against Mr. Chang’s wife and daughter were withdrawn at the request of the Crown.

The possession charges were laid under Section 50 of the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. The exporting charges contravened Section 6(2) of the federal Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA).

The charges stemmed from an investigation conducted by both Quebec and Ontario wildlife officers and were supported by evidence seized with a search warrant on November 20, 2002. Execution of this warrant at Chang’s business was an integral part of a massive enforcement operation. In November, 2002, over two hundred federal and provincial officers executed search warrants at over 60 locations in Ontario and Quebec. These operations effectively dismantled a large bear gall bladder poaching and trafficking network operating from Quebec.

Bear gall bladders are sought after for use in traditional Asian medicine. The foreign black market value of bear galls can range from $2000 to $10,000 each. The weight of a bear gall varies between 15 and 130 grams.

Canada has the largest remaining black bear habitat in the world. The illegal trade in bear parts is creating growing pressure on the population of this species. The black bear is protected by the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible for implementing CITES on behalf of the federal government. Within Environment Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service administers CITES and interacts with provincial, territorial and other federal agencies. CITES sets controls on the international trade and movement of animal and plant species that have been, or may be, threatened due to excessive commercial exploitation. WAPPRIITA is the legislative vehicle by which Canada meets its obligations under CITES.

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