A West Vancouver man was just charged, after a 2018 video surfaced of his family hand-feeding black bears.
The man was charged with one count of feeding dangerous wildlife and one count of attracting dangerous wildlife.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service had said this type of interaction is dangerous for both humans and the animals.
RELATED: B.C. Police Find A Caged Baby Bear At Home Amid Arrest
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“Once a bear has obtained a food source at a residence, it may not just return to that residence, it may look at all residences as a potential opportunity for food,” said Chris Doyle, deputy chief of the service, to CTV News.
The video shows two young girls giggling as a bear cub swats at them, after one of the girls tried to give it a cracker. Another video shows a man feeding an adult-sized bear a full package of crackers through the screen door.
In 2019, conservation officers killed 542 black bears in B.C., due to human conflict, according to provincial statistics.
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