BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Officials said the recent fires in the Kern County mountains have brought bears out of the wild, making them easier targets for poachers.

Bear gallbladders are a valuable commodity on the black market, and can fetch up to $10,000.

Recently, a bear was found dead alongside a road in the Lake Tahoe area. The bear had been hit by a car, but its gallbladder had been removed.

The growing crime is causing concern because of the large bear population in the mountains east of Bakersfield.

"Down here in the Kern County area we have a healthy bear population," said Scott Robledo with the Department of Fish and Game. "In the Piute Mountains as well as the Greenhorn Mountains, it is my belief that it goes on here quite a bit. It goes unnoticed."

Officials said it is a difficult crime to for them crack down on because of the remote locations.

Two local men were arrested in 2003 in connection with poaching. Fish and Game Wardens confiscated a large number of bear parts at an apartment where one of the men lived in Arvin.

It is a felony for trafficking and selling bear parts, and carries a fine of $10,000 and a minimum of six months to a year in prison.

Residents in Twin Oaks said they are familiar with poachers. Since the community is small, residents usually know when someone is new, and can identify poachers by their vehicles and equipment.

"They are big trucks, and carry cages for their animals and they carry propane tanks," said one Twin Oaks resident who would only identify herself as Shelly. "They use propane as a chumming agent to lure the bear. The bear likes the smell because it smells like rotten eggs."

If you have any information about poachers, you are encouraged to contact the Department of Fish and Game.