Manitoba Sustainable Development advises that acting on a tip, conservation officers investigated a claim that a visiting, licensed hunter had illegally killed a grizzly bear while hunting in northern Manitoba in June 2015. The investigation by officers led to the discovery of a bear.
Although grizzly bears once roamed much of western North America and across the Prairies as far east as the Red River valley, they all but disappeared from the province until recent sightings were reported in northern Manitoba. Grizzly bears are considered as protected under The Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act. DNA testing confirmed the bear in question was a grizzly and in 2015, the hunter was charged with killing an extirpated species.
On March 29, 2017, Carl Brown Jr. of South Carolina was found guilty and ordered to pay $10,000 in fines and $2,000 in court costs.
Although grizzly bear sightings are rare in Manitoba, there have been an increasing number reported in recent years. Grizzly bears are still found in British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Anyone with information about illegal activities is asked to call the local Manitoba Sustainable Development Office or the Turn in Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-782-0076.
