2 charged in killing of Texada Island grizzly bear: officials

Two people accused of killing a grizzly bear on Texada Island are now facing charges.

Two people have been charged with violating B.C.’s Wildlife Act in the killing of a grizzly bear on one of the Gulf Islands earlier this year, according to authorities.

Crown approved the charges after an “in-depth investigation,” and the pair – who have not been named – are charged with “failing to promptly report the wounding or killing of a grizzly bear,” the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said in a statement on social media Monday.

The two people are set to appear in court in Powell River on Oct. 14.

“As this matter is now before the courts no further information will be provided at this time,” the statement from the BCCOS concluded.

The bear swam to the island and was first spotted on May 27, prompting a warning to residents from the qathet Regional District about the danger of bears becoming habituated to humans.

The BCCOS said the animal was not a candidate for relocation, detailing a history of reports about the bear’s behaviour that ranged from breaking into marinas and stealing bait to aggressively “stalking” hikers to roaming around a school to chasing livestock.

The bear was shot dead in July.

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