If you know something about this crime, that information could get you $12,000.
The Squamish Valley Rod and Gun Club, Pemberton Wildlife Association, and BC Wildlife Federation have pooled their resources to offer a $12,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person who illegally killed a grizzly bear in Squamish this summer.
The dead bear had been relocated from Squamish in September 2020 and was found dead in the Squamish River in August.
According to a news release in late August, on Aug. 10, 2023, the Conservation Officer Service (COS) received a report about the bear floating in the river.
“Upon investigation, a necropsy [animal autopsy] showed that the grizzly bear had been shot, and a rope was tied around it in effort to drag it into the river for disposal,” the COS post reads.
Conservation officers believe the bear was shot sometime between Aug. 7th and 9th.
The grizzly had a yellow ear tag and was known to frequent the area of the confluence of the Cheakamus River and the Squamish River.
There is no open season to hunt grizzlies; it is an offence under the Wildlife Act to kill them.
It is also an offence to fail to report an accidental shooting or defensive shooting of wildlife.
If found guilty, on a first conviction, an accused can be fined up to $100,000, face imprisonment for one year, or both.
If you have information about who shot this bear or anything related to the situation, call the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277. Or call Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Callers can also remain anonymous.
The Pemberton Wildlife Association Sept. 29 newsletter states that the association and the Squamish gun club ponied up $10,000 of the reward, and the Wildlife Federation topped it up to $12,000.
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Please note that this story was updated on Oct. 2, after it was first published (Aug. 30), to include the reward amount and contributors.
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