Whoever dumped a moose carcass and five deer carcasses at Thunderbird near the power lines could be fined close to $1,000.
“There’s no evidence at the site so right now it would just be public information that would help us,” said Skeena conservation officer Ryan Gordon Nov. 4.
“We’re certainly interested in [hearing from] anyone with information.”
Two people out on an ATV Nov. 1 found moose remains and five deer skins dumped at Thunderbird, as one of the people noted on Facebook.
On their return trip two hours later, they saw a big pile of corn and a bunch of frozen fish had been added, looking like someone was laying down bait so when a bear came by, hunters could kill it, said the post on Facebook.
It was reported to conservation officers, who went out to the site the next day to take a look and take photos.
“It looks like it was a bunch of Queen Charlotte deer so probably they processed it at home and took all the inedible portions and dumped them in that spot along with freezer burned fish,” said Gordon.
“There was no indication of bear baiting. I think it is more of a case of dumping. It’s still an illegal act – they should be taking it to the landfill.”
The reason why it’s illegal is that people walk their dogs along that same area and they could come across a bear there and conflict would ensue, Gordon added.
Gordon didn’t see any bears there but lots of birds had descended on the carcasses.
If the person is caught, the fine for dumping the carcasses is $575 plus the additional fine of $345 for potentially attracting dangerous wildlife, said Gordon.
And the person would have to clean up their mess too.
With birds feeding off the remains, Gordon figured the carcasses would be gone in a couple of days.
Animal parts are dumped in the bush probably half a dozen times a year, even though taking the parts to the dump doesn’t cost anything because it’s considered part of residential waste, said Gordon.
“I’m not sure what the rationale is [for dumping]. They just want to get rid of it or it gets smelly and they just want to get rid of it as quickly as possible,” he said.
He speculates this person went to the Queen Charlottes to hunt deer, shot their five deer, brought them back and cleaned and disposed of them there, along with rotten fish.
Gordon reminds people that if they see someone dumping animal parts or other conservation violations to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters toll-free number at 1-877-952-7277.