Bear allegedly shot with bow and arrow; put down by police
By Kyra Hoggan
Charges have been laid against a Castlegar resident who allegedly shot a bear with a bow-and-arrow Wednesday, according to Conservation Officer Ben Beetlestone.
Beetlestone said the charges were levied by way of a violation ticket.
“The bear was in a semi-enclosed space – a carport – when an encounter happened,” Beetlestone said. “Garbage was the issue, for sure. There was a history of this bear in that yard and that neighbourhood.”
The resident allegedly fired upon the animal with a bow-and-arrow, striking and injuring the bear, but not killing it.
“The injured bear had to be put down by an RCMP officer,” Beetlestone said, explaining it was both an act of mercy and necessity, as the animal was suffering, and it would be a serious public safety issue to leave an injured bear in a residential area.
“There was no other option,” he said.
He also urged residents not to take the kind of unilateral action allegedly seen in this incident, but rather to call police or conservation instead.
“You can’t be taking matters into your own hands,” he said. “It’s not condoned at all. It’s not safe.”
