A B.C. conservation group is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in a suspected bear poaching incident.
Fishing guide Yves Bisson told Global News he found two dead black bears floating in the Harrison River near Chilliwack, B.C., on the weekend.
The bear carcasses were tied together, their paws were severed and their stomachs were cut open.
Bisson believes whoever killed the bears was after their gallbladders and paws for sale on the black market.
According to Monitor Conservation Research Society, bear poaching is “driven by demand for their gall bladders and bile, which are highly valuable ingredients in traditional medicines used to treat a variety of ailments such as the flu, sores, hemorrhoids, sprains, epilepsy, and liver diseases.”
On Wednesday, the Fur-Bearers posted a reward aimed at catching whoever is responsible.
“Poaching has no place in British Columbia,” Fur-Bearers executive director Lesley Fox said in a media release.
“We are encouraging any residents who may have information, security or trail camera footage, or who may have witnessed unusual activity in this area to contact investigators at the BC COS.”
The BC Conservation Officer Service has confirmed the dead bears were reported on Oct. 5 and said officers were investigating the killing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line at 1-877-952-7277.