Phillips, Wis. Three hunting guides face charges of illegally selling bear gallbladders, an item highly sought in some cultures for medicinal purposes and as an aphrodisiac, authorities say.

Eight other men also have been charged in Price County,
Wisconsin, as the result of an investigation into illegal hunting
of bear.

The most serious charges were filed against Lonnie G. Bleck, 28,
of Ogema and Kenneth F. Strobl, 53, and David L. Seemann, 56, both
of Catawba. The three were members of North Country Guide Service
and were each charged with selling bear parts, which is illegal in
Wisconsin. Seemann and Strobl also were accused of poaching
bear.

The other men were charged with such violations as hunting bear
without a license, killing bear without a license, possessing bear
during a closed season, possessing an untagged bear and hunting
deer with artificial light.