Three BC men have been handed a combined total of $18,000 in penalties for an incident that happened in the Interior four years ago.
According to the Conservation Officer Service (BC COS), Kyaw Aue Thah, Boe Boe Gyi, and Ywa Baw Mu are all from the Lower Mainland area and have each been handed a 10-year hunting ban for unlawfully killing wildlife in May 2020.
A conservation officer was conducting hunting compliance checks in the Darfield area, which is about 80 kilometres north of Kamloops.
A statement from the BC COS says the men were using spotlights to hunt at night during their “hunting excursion.”
“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,” says the BC COS.
“Several grouse and a marmot were also shot. One of the men clubbed the wounded marmot to death.”
All three men were sentenced in Kamloops provincial court on April 18 for violations under the Wildlife Act.
Thah received an $8,000 penalty and his rifle and spotlights were forfeited.
Mu and Gyi were both handed $5,000 penalties.
Under the hunting bans, each man must not accompany any hunter until 2034.
According to the BC COS, a fourth accused is currently wanted on a warrant, however, no other details were provided.
A majority of the penalties will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.
“The COS hopes this significant penalty will help deter others from similar activities,” the COS says.
