B.C. man gets 30 days in jail and $11K fine for killing black bear and cub

A Tofino, B.C., man has been handed an $11,000 fine and will spend 30 days in jail for illegally killing a black bear and her cub.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Ryan Millar was also served a 20-year hunting and weapons ban at his sentencing in Tofino Provincial Court on Monday for killing wildlife outside an open season and for killing a black bear under the age of two.

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According to the BC COS, Millar saw the bears in a tree outside his property in 2021. He then used a recurve bow to shoot them out of the tree, before killing them on the ground with a crossbow.

Millar later tried to hide the carcasses, the Conservation Officer Service said.

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“No one should take it upon themselves to needlessly destroy wildlife. We ask people to call us if they have a concern. It’s not lawful to take matters into your own hands,” BC COS Sgt. Dan Eichstadter, said in a Facebook post.

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“We’d also like to thank the witnesses who immediately reported their concerns to authorities and initiated this investigation.”

The majority of the $11,000 fine will be directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.

The Conservation Officer Service said it hoped the hefty penalty will serve as a deterrent to others.