Seriously though, whether it’s coyotes in Stanley Park or bears in Whistler, people gotta stop feeding wildlife. Last Friday, the BC Conservation Officer Service announced it had doled out a $60,000 fine for a Whistler resident, after a prolonged habit of attracting and feeding bears on her property.
Turns out, the woman had been purchasing large amounts of food to attract and feed the bears. During the summer of 2018, the woman was buying apples, carrots and eggs in bulk to feed at least 3 black bears. Why she did it? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.
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COURT CASE | A #Whistler resident has received a combined $60,000 penalty for feeding and attracting bears to her property in a precedent-setting case for the #BCCOS as the highest overall penalty imposed under the Wildlife Act in B.C. https://t.co/pxKd6VxDwV pic.twitter.com/BdCjn4PA6W
— BC CO Service (@_BCCOS) October 1, 2021
Her actions, of course, came with serious consequences. Not only did conservation officers have to put down the three bears, but her $60,000 fine is the largest ever given under BC’s Wildlife Act. One weird bonus? A fair portion of the fine will go towards the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.
So, that’s kind of a silver lining, but we’re just sad that three bears had to be put down in order for the foundation to get the cash. Next time, we think this Whistler resident should maybe just observe the bears from afar, and then make a donation directly. It’s a simple solution, but we stand by it.
