A West Vancouver resident has been fined $5,000 for feeding black bears in his backyard, according to The B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
Vitali Shevchenko pleaded guilty to feeding dangerous wildlife, a violation under the province’s Wildlife Act, the BCCOS revealed on Twitter Thursday.
“Feeding dangerous wildlife compromises the safety of both people and wildlife,” Sgt. Simon Gravel said in a tweet by the service. “The best thing people can do to help keep people safe & wildlife wild is to not feed them and secure all attractants.”
The investigation into Shevchenko began in 2018 after videos surfaced on social media.
One video posted on Instagram showed two children feeding a bear cub from a patio, while another showed a man passing a package of biscuits or crackers to a bear through a sliding door.
Feeding bears presents not only an obvious risk to the people involved, but it’s also dangerous to the animals, according to the BCCOS.
It warns that conservation officers might have to put the bears down if the animals become conditioned to rely on food in residential areas.
In 2021, 504 black bears were killed by conservation officers.
The BCCOS said the majority of Shevchenko’s penalty will benefit the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation
