Risky Business: Is Selling Bear Bile Illegal In New York?

A recent press release from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has many local residents shaking their heads.

Environmental Conservation Officers are constantly on the lookout for New Yorkers on the wrong side of environmental laws. While many cases involve more common infractions like keeping and selling undersized seafood or even poaching, a recent case brought an entirely different question to light.

Bear Hunting in New York State

While bear hunting is legal in New York State (with more than 1,600 bears harvested during the 2024 season), there are still many regulations on both how the bear is hunted and how (and what) is harvested.

Bear Hunting Restrictions in New York State

When hunting bears, there are multiple restrictions the methods in which they are caught and killed. Trapping big game like bear is illegal in New York, as is using hunting aids like dogs or aircrafts. Additional regulations dictate what can be done with the animal itself.

Is Bear Bile Illegal in New York?

It is permitted (and even encouraged) for hunters to eat the meat of animals like deer and bear that they harvest, however selling bear or deer meat is prohibited. There are also restrictions on possession and sale of bear gallbladders and bear bile.

Bear Bile Regulations in New York State

Bear bile, which some view as as a homeopathic remedy, is heavily regulated in New York State, and is illegal to sell without the original tag for the harvested bear. Recently, Environmental Conservation Officers uncovered an illegal sale in New York City. From the NYS DEC:

Officers visited [a] pharmacy selling pills containing bear bile. A store employee offered to sell the pills to the undercover Officers for $55 per box. ECO Baldwin informed the store employee of the law and seized the boxes as evidence before ticketing the store for the unlawful sale of wild game

No matter the regulations, many New York residents would rather watch bears than hunt them. Check out what happened when a particularly mischievous bear went grocery shopping here, and relive a New Paltz bear's campus visit below.