Conservation officers are asking for the public's help in a search for the culprit after a grizzly bear was found dead just north of Bear Lake and with its four paws removed.
The discovery was called into the Conservation Officer Service on Wednesday night, conservation officer Eamon McArthur said.
"It was definitely shot and with the paws having been taken, it leads us to believe it was probably being used for trafficking in parts," McArthur said.
He said it appears the bear was killed sometime within the past week. It was found in a ditch just off Highway 97 about eight kilometres north of Bear Lake, in turn about 75 kilometres north of Prince George. It's not known if it was killed where it was found or dumped there.
"It wasn't easily observable just where it was sitting in the ditch," McArthur said. "The guy who eventually called it in said he though it was just a dead moose."
In addition to trafficking in animal parts, potential violations include violating a ban on hunting grizzlies and hunting within 400 metres of a highway.
Grizzly bear hunting across British Columbia was banned last year.
Anyone exporting, importing or trafficking in bear paws, bear gall bladders or genitals could face a six-month jail term, $250,000 fine, or both, if convicted.
Some bear parts are used in traditional broths and medicines and can fetch thousands of dollars when sold overseas.
Anyone who may have seen something suspicious in the vicinity of where the bear was found is asked to call the Conservation Officer Service's RAPP line at 1-877-7277 or leave a message online at forms.gov.bc.ca/environment/rapp/.
- with files from Canadian Press
