A video is making its rounds on social media of what appears to be a tourist feeding a grizzly bear near Smithers.
There are several short clips of a man, who also flashes his boarding pass in one scene, allegedly feeding a carrot from a vehicle and then it appears he gets out and tries to feed the grizzly an apple.
Sergeant Matthew Corbett of the Conservation Officer Service said he can’t speak to the incident beyond the fact that they are aware and there is an open investigation.
He did add that feeding a grizzly is an offence under the wildlife act.
The penalties for this sort of offence range from a violation ticket of $575 to a maximum fine of $50,000.
There are very good reasons for it being highly illegal to feed bears beyond the fact it is exceptionally dangerous to a person’s own safety.
It also endangers other people, because a bear that becomes habituated to humans can become even more aggressive and pose a threat to others. Conservation officers often end up having to euthanize such bears.
It can also be dangerous to bears’ health because human foods do not provide proper nutrition and can cause health issues.
In 2018, a B.C. woman was fined $60,000 for habitually feeding black bears on her property near Whistler. She was later able to appeal the amount as excessive, but still ended up having to shell out $10,500 in a reduced fine.