Environment Ministry says the bear carcass was dumped in the Muskwa River on Aug. 2.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it's investigating after a black bear carcass was dumped near the Muskwa River Bridge on Aug. 2, roughly a four-kilometre drive south of Fort Nelson.
In a statement to CBC News, an Environment Ministry spokesperson said anyone with information regarding the incident should contact the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) Line.
"The matter is currently under investigation by the Conservation Officer Service, and further information cannot be shared at this time," they said.
Coty Hardy lives in Fort Nelson, and came across the carcass while walking his dog by the river. He speculates it may have been killed on private property, then dumped. "I would have to guess that maybe somebody had a problem bear in their yard. Being a small northern town, people don't really care for conservation officers," he said.
"If there is a problem bear on somebody's property and they just shot it, they're probably not reporting and just got rid of it."
Hardy says the black bear was in two pieces, sitting in the water along the shore, not far from the bridge itself.
"I've been at that river pretty much every day for like three weeks now, and pretty consistently all spring. I've never seen anything like that dumped so close," he said.
The Muskwa River flows through 257 kilometres of northern British Columbia, and is a major tributary of the Fort Nelson River. Muskwa or Maskwa means "bear" in the Cree language.
The river also flows in the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area, a wilderness conservation area in the Northern Rockies spanning 6.4 million hectares.
According to provincial hunting regulations, the hunting season for black bears is currently closed and won't open until Aug. 15.
The Peace and Northern Rockies are listed as Region 7B under the regulations, with the general open season for black bear hunting from April 1 to June 30, and Aug. 15 to Nov. 15, each year.
Regardless of the time of year, dumping carcasses is illegal under the B.C. Wildlife Act.
-Tom Summer · CBC News
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