re: Louisiana black bear no longer endangered, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Eat a bear that had been dining on berries and manzanita and you are in for a feast. Eat a bear that had gorged on salmon and it'll taste like low tide on a hot day.

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Bear meat has tended to receive mixed reviews. Its greasy, coarse texture and sweet flavor require a certain kind of palate. Bear meat should be thoroughly cooked as it can carry a parasitic infection known as trichinella and is potentially lethal to humans. Flavor is dependent on the age and diet of the bear. The best meat apparently comes from two-year-old bears which eat more berries than fish.

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Black bear fur was considered more valuable in the American West than that of grizzly, and was once used to fabricate bearskins, which are tall fur caps worn as part of the ceremonial uniform of several regiments in various armies.

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Bear fat can also be used as lamp fuel, with 40-50 grams being sufficient to last up to an hour.

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