A Tofino, B.C., man has been handed an $11,000 fine and will spend 30 days in jail for illegally killing a black bear sow and her cub.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Ryan Millar was also served a 20-year hunting and weapons ban at his sentencing in Tofino Provincial Court on Monday for killing wildlife outside an open season and for killing a black bear under the age of two.

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According to the BC COS, Millar saw the bears in a tree outside his property in 2021. He then used a recurve bow to shoot them out of the tree, before killing them on the ground with a crossbow.

Millar later tried to hide the carcasses, the Conservation Officer Service said.

“No one should take it upon themselves to needlessly destroy wildlife. We ask people to call us if they have a concern. It’s not lawful to take matters into your own hands,” BC COS Sgt. Dan Eichstadter, said in a Facebook post.

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“We’d also like to thank the witnesses who immediately reported their concerns to authorities and initiated this investigation.”

The majority of the $11,000 fine will be directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.

The Conservation Officer Service said it hoped the hefty penalty will serve as a deterrent to others.

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