A B.C. man has been fined $2,000 for feeding Timbits to a young grizzly bear. Could there possibly be a more Canadian headline?
The punishment was handed down by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service after the culprit posted photos of the deed on the Internet. The importance of deleting your social media accounts cannot be understated.
The Ford Nelson judge presiding over the case felt little compassion for the Timbit provider, despite his pleading guilty to violating the B.C. Wildlife Act. In addition to the fine, the man was ordered to keep a distance of at least 50 metres from all bears for six months.
On Aug 22/19, the individual who posted pictures on social media of himself feeding bears along the Alaska Hwy and, therefore, was charged by BCCOS for unlawfully feeding bears pled guilty in Prov Court & was fined $2k & ordered to stay away a min of 50m from bears for 6 months. pic.twitter.com/uBUmEVWwld
— BC CO Service (@_BCCOS) August 27, 2019
Of course, it could have been much worse for the man. Northern B.C. strikes me as an “eye for an eye” kind of place. A less lenient judge could very well have forced the man to eat Tim Hortons food himself. Capital punishment averted.
“Hopefully it sends a message and deters people that this is not wise, it’s not lawful and it should never happen in the first place,” said Conservation officer Shawn Brinsky on the matter.