Provincial conservation officers are seeking the public’s help to catch a poacher who killed a moose in Spray Valley Provincial Park.
Officials say the incident, reported by a contractor working in the area, happened in the late evening or early morning hours of Nov. 9 or 10 along Spray Lakes Road between the Sparrowhawk and Spray Lakes day use areas.
Arian Spiteri, a conservation officer with Kananaskis Country, said it’s suspected the moose was a bull, but they can’t say for sure.
“All that was left was the gut pile. Everything had been taken,” she said. “We believe it was shot on the road from a vehicle.”
There have been two other reported poaching incidents in Spray Lakes Provincial Park so far this fall, involving bighorn sheep. Charges are pending in those cases.
“We do have a couple of occurrences each year,” said Spiteri.
In Alberta, poaching is a serious crime with severe penalties. If convicted, poachers may be fined up to $100,000 or face jail time.
Anyone with information on the poaching of the moose is asked to call the province’s Report A Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800.
The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All information about a caller is kept strictly confidential.
“We’re looking for any tips we can get from the public,” said Spiteri.
Hunting is permitted in wildland parks in Kananaskis Country, including Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park, Elbow-Sheep, Bluerock and Don Getty parks.
In general, hunting and discharging of firearms, including bows, are prohibited in provincial parks and provincial recreation areas; however, there are specific exceptions, including the northwest corner of Evan-Thomas provincial recreation area, for big game and bird season.
“Hunting can occur in wildland parks, but not provincial parks,” said Spiteri. “But it can never occur from a vehicle.”
According to national estimates, the Report A Poacher website indicates fewer than 10 per cent of poaching cases are detected.
The top five animals poached mammals in Alberta are deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep and bears.
