VICTORIA -- Update:
The BC Conservation Officer Service says it is no longer investigating allegations that a Victoria man was unlawfully feeding bears Timbits in B.C. earlier this month.
The conservation service says it began to investigate Randy Scott after images of a bear being fed the dessert surfaced on social media on Sept. 12.
Scott had previously pleaded guilty to feeding or attempting to feed dangerous wildlife in B.C. after photos of bears being fed Timbits were shared on social media in 2017.
Now, the conservation service says it has determined that the photos that were posted on social media on Sept. 12 were “related to an earlier matter that has already been dealt with through court proceedings.”
The investigation is now considered concluded, says the service.
When CTV News requested a statement from Scott earlier Thursday, he said: "Rules are meant to be broken."
Earlier:
The BC Conservation Officer Service has confirmed to CTV News it is investigating allegations that a Victoria man has once again been unlawfully feeding Timbits to bears in B.C.
Conservation officers are investigating Randy Scott, who was previously charged and fined for feeding Timbits to bears in 2017.
Scott and a co-accused were charged with one count of feeding or attempting to feed dangerous wildlife in B.C.’s Interior in 2017, after photos of bears being fed Timbits surfaced online.
Now, new images have appeared on social media, apparently showing Scott again feeding Timbits to wild bears.
One photo, dated Sept. 12 on Scott's Facebook page, shows a bear sniffing a Timbit through a car window, similar to an image that was posted in 2017 that led to a charge under the BC Wildlife Act.
Another picture posted Wednesday shows two boxes of Timbits with a caption that reads: “Time to find some grizzlies! (Sponsored by tim hortons).”
The conservation service tells CTV News it is investigating allegations related to the Sept. 12 photo and is unable to provide any further comment at this time as their investigation is ongoing.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of the Grizzly Bear Foundation, says that feeding bears can be dangerous for both people and wildlife.
"Feeding a bear is just bad business," he said. "It’s going to end up damaging that bear."
Scapillati says that feeding bears can cause them to become "food conditioned," which could lead them to seek out humans and result in dangerous encounters.
"He’s actually helping this bear become food conditioned which could lead to its demise." He said.
Scapillati says that he hopes conservation officers “throw the book” at repeat offenders who are found feeding dangerous wildlife.
"We’re supposed to be the most intelligent species on the planet and I think this guy needs to learn that role in this relationship," he said.
In 2019, Scott and a co-accused, Megan Hilts, pleaded guilty to the charge of feeding dangerous wildlife and were fined $2,000 under the BC Wildlife Act.
In 2013, Scott was charged with dangerous driving after a video of a motorcycle racing nearly 300 kilometres an hour in Greater Victoria attracted hundreds of thousands of views online.
While police believed he shot the video, they couldn’t prove that he was driving the bike at the time and Scott was acquitted of the charges.
Then in 2015, police seized Scott's 2005 Lamborghini for going twice the posted speed limit on the Trans-Canada Highway in Saanich.
