Severed bear paws found in Riverside

Officials want to know how a pair of severed bear paws wound up in a Riverside neighborhood last weekend, the Press-Enterprise reports:

Police were called Saturday afternoon to a home off Clifton Boulevard, north of the Riverside Municipal Airport, where residents found the paws wrapped in a bag, according to a Riverside police report.

Bear poaching, in which bears are usually killed and sold for parts, is a statewide problem, officials said. Bears are sought for their paws and gallbladder, which are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, said Patrick Foy, a California game warden. The parts are often used in healing potions or as an aphrodisiac.

While hunting of California black bears is legal with a valid hunting license and bear tag, any sale of bear meat or bear parts for profit is considered a felony.

The state Department of Fish and Game is investigating.

-- Francisco Vara-Orta