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Whistler resident fined $60,000 for feeding bears

staff report
October 1, 2021 5:57pm

A Whistler resident, Zuzana Stevikova, has received a combined $60,000 penalty for feeding and attracting bears to her property in a precedent-setting case.

It is the highest overall penalty imposed under the Wildlife Act in BC. She was sentenced earlier this week in the North Vancouver Provincial Court.

The majority of the penalty has been ordered to go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

The COS launched an investigation in July 2018, after receiving a RAPP line complaint advising the Kadenwood neighbourhood resident had been feeding black bears for some time.

The investigation found that Stevikova had been intentionally feeding black bears throughout the summer of 2018. Bulk produce – including up to 10 cases of apples, 50 pounds of carrots and up to 15 dozen eggs – was purchased on a weekly basis to feed the bears.

These activities created an extraordinary public safety risk by conditioning bears to human food and presence, COS says.

In Sept. 2018, Conservation Officers were forced to put down three bears that were repeatedly visiting the area, causing property damage, and exhibiting highly habituated behaviour showing no fear of people.

The non-natural food conditioning ensured these bears were not candidates for rehabilitation or relocation, as the risk to the safety of area residents and visitors was simply far too great.

“The primary concern of the COS is public safety. Illegally feeding or placing attractants to lure dangerous wildlife, such as bears, is an extremely dangerous activity,” said COS Sgt. Simon Gravel. “Once bears learn to associate humans with food, it creates a public safety risk.”

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brad & Lynda Gerhardt says

    October 1, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    Well whoever you are , you have not helped these poor 🐻 bears…you have given them a death sentence ….nice work…not enough of a fine in my eyes…I could say worse but then they won’t print this so that’s all I’m saying….

  2. Bear says

    October 2, 2021 at 5:48 am

    What a stupid cunt.

    • Mark Caulton says

      October 3, 2021 at 4:07 pm

      Well said…

  3. Terry says

    October 2, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    I would have taken all that food

    • Brad & Lynda Gerhardt says

      October 2, 2021 at 2:03 pm

      Yes, there is probably a lot of people who could have used that food!

  4. Mark says

    October 2, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    Should have been $250,000 fine, and 2000 hours community service educating people not to feed wildlife.

    Still, I’m glad a fine was levied. Maybe people will think twice now about feeding wildlife.

    • Brad & Lynda Gerhardt says

      October 2, 2021 at 2:02 pm

      Agreed!

  5. Janice Lloyd says

    October 3, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    Best news I have read in ages! I am a Whistler resident and treasure our bears and all wildlife. It would have been very welcome to have seen a jail sentence attached to this fine.
    Such stupid, self centred, mindless behaviour is typical of someone who has more money than brains. Poor bears! So sorry for twisted humans to cause your demise.

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