Two bear carcasses have been found along South Watts Road in Ladysmith.
George Fredrickson was the man to make the gruesome discovery June 10 whilst out on a regular night walk with his dog.
“I found them at the end of South Watts Road close to the Stocking Creek Bridge,” he said. “I was out for a walk with my dog and doing the loop that I do every night, and when I was walking along the road, I saw vultures and eagles up ahead. I was thinking there was something dead up there. It’s a sad commentary of human nature and very distasteful.”
Fredrickson said he believes the bears were shot somewhere else and then dumped in the area.
“It’s a popular hike area for the people that live in the trailer park,” he said. “There’s an ongoing problem down here with dumping and other things, and nobody seems to do anything about it.”
Fredrickson said that bear sightings have been a rarity so far this year.
“I haven’t seen any bears this year; all I’ve seen is one track on the trail that I walk with my dog. You usually see a lot more by now.”
Conservation officer Stuart Bates confirmed that the bears were legally hunted.
“All the meat was removed and it was in bear season (which ended Sunday June 15),” he said. “We do prefer that they return the parts to the forest rather than leave them there in case it attracts other bears.”
Bates said the fact that the paws were still with the carcasses is a good indication of legality.
“Poachers want the paws and they removed the hide as well. I have no idea who dumped them there,” he said. “There is a $345 charge we can do if they are dumped near residential areas or heavily travelled trails, but this was on an old logging road.”
