FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Rotting bear meat found in a restaurant refrigerator led health officials in New Brunswick to close the eatery while the cooler was decontaminated.
The meat was found Tuesday during a routine inspection at the Mandarin Palace restaurant in Fredericton, the National Post reported.
Dr. Cristin Muecke, regional medical officer of health, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. there were concerns the meat could have contaminated other items in the refrigerator.
"Although bear meat is eaten by hunters and so forth, we don't allow wild game to be used in restaurants and so it was considered a critical violation of the Public Health Act," she said.
Because about 1.5 percent of bears in the province are infected with the trichinella parasite, the meat was sent to the Department of Natural Resources for testing, The Post said.
Humans can develop trichinosis by eating infected meat that's raw or undercooked. The parasite creates worms that permeate the organs and migrate into muscles.
Test results from the bear meat were expected in days, the CBC said.
