The BC Conservation Officer Service is asking the public for more information after a grizzly bear was found shot and killed in the Squamish River earlier this month.
On Aug. 10, the conservation service received a report from the public that a grizzly bear appeared to have been illegally killed and was floating in the Squamish River. A necropsy showed the bear had been shot and “a rope was tied around it in (an) effort to drag it into the river for disposal.”
Officers believe the bear had been shot some time between Aug. 7 and 9.
The bear had been relocated from Squamish in September 2020. it has a yellow ear tag and was known to frequent the area where the Cheakamus and Squamish rivers meet.
The BC Conservation Officer Service said it’s looking for more information in the investigation, as well as help in identifying anyone involved. People can report information through the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 where callers can remain anonymous.
It is an offence under the Wildlife Act to kill a grizzly bear as there is no open season to hunt them. It is also an offence to fail to report an accidental shooting or defensive shooting of wildlife.
People can be fined up to $100,000, imprisoned for one year or both.
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