TRAPPER FINED FOR HAVING SPECIES AT RISK

[Some Old Guy 968]

RED LAKE – An Ear Falls trapper has been fined $700 for illegally possessing a wolverine, an animal designated as “threatened” on the Species At Risk in Ontario list.

Court was told that the trapper sent a letter in late December 2006 to the Ministry of Natural Resources office in Red Lake indicating he had accidentally caught a wolverine in a wolf snare.

When ministry staff tried to investigate, the man was not co-operative and they were not able to determine if it was an accidental catch.

The ministry reminds trappers to report incidents like this to the local district manager within two days. If the ministry determines that snaring another species was an accident, a trapper would not likely be charged. The ministry would confiscate the wolverine and collect important biological data that is used to manage the wolverine and its habitat.

The case was heard in Ontario Court of Justice, Red Lake, August 3, 2007 and the ruling on January 10, 2008.