‘No indication’ bear was illegally killed; resident greatly concerned

Warning: This story features a disturbing image of a dead bear.

Elaine Esteban was walking the Traboulay Poco Trail on a Saturday morning in early-September when something caught her eye.

At the point where the trail runs through Coquitlam River Park, Esteban spotted a dead bear.

On closer inspection, Esteban noticed a series of what looked like cuts in the animal.

“The wounds were precise, regular, and appear to have been inflicted by a knife,” she wrote in an email to the Dispatch.

Esteban reported that the conservation officer she dealt with was skeptical of her claims.

“I sent her my pictures, and she admitted they were odd, but that she still didn’t think it was poaching because there were no reports of suspicious activity in the area,” Esteban wrote. “I would say reports of a bear with surgically removed parts is in and of itself quite suspicious.”

Reached for comment, a Conservation Officer Service representative confirmed they’d received reports of the bear carcass but that the incident wasn’t considered suspicious.

“Conservation Officers liaised with city officials and the RCMP and concluded that there is no indication to suggest the animal was unlawfully killed,” the representative stated.

There is no investigation underway.

Asked about what appeared to be precise knife wounds, the representative replied that conservation officers looked at the photos and made their determination.

Coquitlam bylaw services attended the scene to investigate, stated the city’s senior manager of bylaw services Aaron Hilgerdenaar.

“We did hear concerns from the community regarding potential wounds on the animal, but when our bylaw staff attended the scene, they found no evidence to support those concerns,” Hilgerdenaar stated in an email to the Dispatch.

Esteban told the Dispatch she and her neighbours are “greatly concerned” by the incident.

“As one of my neighbours said, ‘We live in the bear’s territory, and they are our neighbours. They are members of our community,’” Esteban wrote.