A Niverville resident was fined $3,700 and suspended from hunting for two years after pleading guilty to six counts of violating the Wildlife Act.
The resident was also ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution as a result of the conviction, which resulted from an investigation stated by Manitoba conservation officers in 2019.
The offences the individual pleaded guilty to related to the killing and possession of a barren-ground caribou near South Indian Lake in March 2018, the killing of two moose out-of-season near South Indian Lake in January 2020 and fur dealing without a licence between September 2019 and February 2020.
After gathering evidence of the illegal activities, conservation officers obtained a search warrant for social media communications between the Niverville resident and a U.S. client that revealed people were illegally buying fur-bearing animals such as fisher and marten from Manitoba trappers.
A second search warrant was later executed at the person’s residence and resulted in the seizure of illegally obtained barren-ground caribou antlers. The individual was charged with 23 Wildlife Act violations, including killing big game during a prohibited time, possessing illegally taken wildlife, trading furs without a licence, buying and selling animal parts without a licence and failing to submit transaction records.
