Can you eat bear meat? Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms [Video]

MINNEAPOLIS — It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.

The celebration happened in summer 2022, according to the account in the latest edition of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. An extended family – unnamed in the report – came from across the country for a reunion in South Dakota.

One family member, a hunter, brought some black bear meat that he had harvested in northern Saskatchewan in May 2022. The hunter said that the hunting outfitter had recommended freezing the meat to kill any potential parasites.

The meat had been frozen for 45 days before it was thawed, and the family grilled it with some vegetables and served it as kebabs.

Freezing can kill some parasites commonly found in black bears, but according to the World Organisation for Animal Health, some species of parasites are freeze-tolerant.

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