Meat wastage case under investigation
Yukon conservation officer asking questions
after four dead caribou found
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, November 5, 2015
INUVIK
Conservation officers are investigating after four bull caribou were found shot near the Yukon border on the Dempster Highway Oct. 15.
Four bull caribou were found shot dead Oct. 15 near the Yukon/NWT border. An investigation into who is responsible for the meat wastage is underway. - photo courtesy of Environment Yukon
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Officer Shawn Hughes was in Inuvik following leads and collecting witness accounts on the situation, and did the same in Fort McPherson as well.
"We've been getting lots of comments and some names to follow," he told the Drum. "But I can't give any details, as it's still under investigation."
Hughes said caribou arrived in great numbers in the area Oct. 12 and hunters from all over the region turned out in droves as a result. The four caribou were found at kilometre 461, just a few kilometres on the Yukon side of the border. He said that although they were found on Oct. 15, they were likely shot Oct. 13.
"They weren't gutted or anything," he said.
"They were just left to spoil there."
Amy Amos, executive director of the Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board, said not only is meat wastage illegal, it goes against the teachings of elders.
She said that although the board is not an enforcement agency, it does condemn the practice. To that end, Amos said the board has created posters designed to educate the public about good hunting practices and remind people of their traditional duties.
"The poster talks about sharing the land and respecting the caribou," she said.
"Report your harvest, don't wound, respect the land. Don't disturb it more than you need to with Ski-Doos and everything else."
She also said the board has created bumper stickers saying "let the leaders pass" for hunters on the Dempster.
"We just got them," she said last week.
"So they'll be ready for next year."
For now, Hughes said the caribou have moved on, and with them the hunters. The days following the initial hunt, however, were tense and chaotic.
"People dodging bullets totally happened," he said, confirming some accounts from social media.
"That hasn't happened in five years but we haven't seen caribou like this in five years."
He said rules exist for this kind of situation. It is illegal to carry a loaded firearm in a vehicle and it is illegal to shoot across a highway or from a highway.
"In the past that's been a problem," he said.
"We have had reports of dangerous hunting practices and we do want to get some more information."
