Environment
State fights illegal trafficking in bear parts
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By COURTNEY BOURGOIN
Capital News Service
LANSING — Government agencies and advocacy organizations are working to make sure the sun sets on Michigan bear poaching. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) arrested four people in early August for illegally purchasing and selling black bear parts. And the House Natural Resources Committee has passed a set of bills that call for stricter poaching penalties. The measures already won Senate approval and await action by the full House. Overseas demand for organs motivates poachers to kill the animals through unlawful methods, whether by hunting off-season or exceeding legal limits, DNR officials said.