Three People Convicted of Big Game Poaching

Three individuals were convicted in Provincial Court recently, of nine offences under the Wildlife Act. In addition to fines totalling $12,900, two individuals from La Scie, and another from Brent’s Cove, are each prohibited from holding a moose or caribou licence for a five-year period. One of the individuals also had his six-wheeled ATV valued at approximately $5,000 forfeited to the Crown.

In November 2010, members of the public had expressed concerns that widespread wildlife poaching was occuring in the La Scie area. As a result, enforcement officers investigated the killing of three moose, including a calf, by poachers near the community of La Scie on the Baie Verte Peninsula. The initial investigation led officers to multiple kill sites where they gathered DNA samples from the remains.

The investigation revealed that the three individuals illegally killed and transported the moose to a remote cabin where it was butchered, and then the meat was transported by ATV to the homes of two of the suspects in nearby communities. With the assistance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and officials with the Department of Natural Resources, officers executed search warrants and secured large quantities of moose meat from the suspects’ residences, which was then secured for DNA analysis. This analysis showed that the meat confiscated from freezers in the homes of the poachers was an exact match from the DNA from the samples gathered at the illegal kill sites some weeks earlier.

The public can play an important role in catching poachers by anonymously reporting suspected poaching activity 24-hours a day, toll-free to Fish and Wildlife Enforcement at 1-877-820-0999. Anonymous online reports can also be submitted at www.stoppoaching.ca 

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Photo: ATV and illegal moose meat seized by officers.

Media contact:
Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Justice
709-729-6985, 693-1865
tansymundon@gov.nl.ca 

2012 10 10             12:10 p.m.