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Panorama Ridge resident pleads guilty to feeding bears

Rico Suchy faces up to $50,000 fine and/or six months in jail Local resident Rico Suchy has pleaded guilty to feeding bears at his Panorama Ridge home.

Rico Suchy faces up to $50,000 fine and/or six months in jail

Local resident Rico Suchy has pleaded guilty to feeding bears at his Panorama Ridge home.

Conservation officers charged Suchy and wife Lisa Marie late last year after an extensive investigation into the allegations.

It is the first time someone has been charged and convicted for feeding bears, which is an offence under the B.C. Wildlife Act. He will be sentenced Dec. 16 in North Vancouver Provincial Court.

The charges against Lisa Suchy were stayed.

Until this month Suchy had denied feeding the bears though he agreed they came to his home where he spent hours watching them.

The bears would often bathe in a fishpond at the back of his property.

During an interview with Pique Newsmagazine last year he claimed the bears may have got food from tenants in his home.

He could not be reached for comment this week.

As a result of the feeding two bears had to be shot by conservation offices, who said at the time the bears had become habituated to humans and were potentially dangerous.

Another three bears had to be relocated.

"This sends a message to anyone who is thinking of feeding bears or has fed bears that they could be prosecuted and charged and could potentially be receiving a large fine for that activity," conservation officer Chris Doyle said this week.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a $50,000 fine and/or up to six months in jail.

Crown counsel Ralph Keefer said it’s unlikely Suchy will get the maximum penalty. But he believes the case and the final sentence sends a message to people who engage in this type of behaviour.

"I think the fact that he has been prosecuted and has now plead guilty to an offence that is quasi-criminal in nature, and I think it’s the first of its kind, sends a message and that is good," he said.

Sylvia Dolson, executive director of Whistler’s Jennifer Jones Bear Society is pleased Suchy has taken responsibility.

"It is a precedent-setting case and it has garnered media attention and that has made people aware that it is illegal to feed wildlife, whether it is intentional or unintentional, under provincial legislation," said Dolson.

"We are hoping for a substantial fine amount and the Crown also has the opportunity to suggest to the judge that (the fine) be applied to bear awareness education so we are hoping the money is funnelled back into education to mitigate these kinds of things in the future.

"There haven’t been any more significant problems on Panorama Ridge and the neighbours aren’t complaining anymore so it would appear that (Suchy) has stopped feeding the bears, so perhaps he has learned a lesson. It is unfortunate that bears had to die."

Part of the sentence may even include some community service work in association with local bear education groups.

Michael Allen of the Black Bear Project hopes the message of the conviction goes far beyond those who try and hand-feed bears, who are very few in number.

He wants those who leave garbage out or provide food unintentionally through such things as bird feeders or pet food dishes to sit up and take notice.

"You don’t have to go out there and give a bear a donut. All you have to do is provide a bird feeder reliably and a bear that is already habituated to your residence or the community can take it one step further, especially now when they are supposed to be going to their dens and there is a lot of snow and no natural food sources around," said Allen.

"So the message I would like to see people get from this is that you don’t have to be that extreme to change bear behaviour. It can happen just with regular garbage. So I don’t want people to misinterpret this case and believe that unless you are hand feeding a bear it is OK.

"Bears don’t need this kind of human help to get food.

"It is important for people to know that we don’t need to physically interact with bears that way. We don’t need to support the bears by feeding them directly or indirectly."

Once a bear has located a good food source it has the ability to remember that location and return. They can also communicate this information through their scat and scent trails to other bears.

Here are a few handy tips to keep in mind from www.bearsmart.com:

• Never store garbage outside.

• Minimize garbage odours by keeping garbage in tightly closed plastic bags.

• Don’t leave garbage, animal feed, or food coolers in the back of your pick-up truck.

• Do not use any type of bird feeder during bear season.

• Keep your lawn mowed and weeded as dandelions, grasses and clover are natural food for bears.

• Root vegetables in gardens, such as potatoes, carrots and beets, attract bears. Consider a permanent fence if you plant these vegetables. Never use bone-meal, fish fertilizer or deer repellent in any garden.

• Feed your pets indoors.

• Burn your barbecues clean and store them indoors if possible.

• Keep your compost odour free. Never compost meat fish, oil, grease or dairy products.