SKAGIT COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A woman in Skagit County has been sentenced for illegally trafficking wildlife parts.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says that 54-year-old Yan Li was sentenced late last month to 45 days of home confinement and an $1800 fine following an investigation.
In 2020, the department was contacted by the Skagit County Health Department after dead waterfowl were found outside of Li’s restaurant.
Li was issued a citation and fine after investigators determined that they weren’t being sold at her business. A year later, additional complaints led the department to initiate its own investigation.
Li was charged after purchasing waterfowl carcasses and black bear parts from an undercover agent.
Those included gallbladders, livers, and two dozen paws with the claws still attached.
Fish and Wildlife Police Captain Brad Rhoden says that those bear parts are valuable in international markets due to their perceived medicinal benefits.
