Three men from the Lower Mainland have been fined and banned from hunting for 10 years each for “unlawfully killing wildlife,” including a deer pregnant with two fawns.
In a Facebook post, the BC Conservation Officer Service says Kyaw Aue Thah, Boe Boe Gyi, and Ywa Baw Mu were sentenced under the Wildlife Act by a provincial court judge in Kamloops on Thursday.
The BC COS says Thah was fined $8,000, while Mu and Gyi were each fined $5,000. All three men are also banned from hunting for 10 years, which prevents them from going out with another hunter.
It says a fourth person – who was not named – is also wanted on a warrant.
“In May 2020, the individuals embarked on a hunting excursion in the Darfield area, using spotlights to hunt at night,” the BC COS said, in its post. “Two deer were shot, including one that was later discovered to be pregnant with twin fawns. There was no open season for deer at the time.”
“Several grouse and a marmot were also shot. One of the men clubbed the wounded marmot to death.
The BC COS says the men were caught by a conservation officer who was doing hunting compliance checks, noting their firearms and wildlife were seized as evidence.
“The majority of the penalty will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation,” the BC COS said. “[We hope] this significant penalty will help deter others from similar activities.”