B.C. judge finds man guilty of killing black bear and cub near Tofino

A British Columbia provincial court judge has found a Tofino man guilty of illegally killing a black bear and her cub, despite arguing he only shot one bear in self-defence.

A British Columbia provincial court judge has found a Tofino man guilty of illegally killing a black bear and her cub, despite arguing he only shot one bear in self-defence.

After a three-day trial, Judge Alexander Wolf found Ryan Owen Millar guilty of one count of killing a black bear outside of hunting season, and one count of killing a black bear younger than two years old, or a black bear in the company of it.

A witness testified that he and his wife were visiting Tofino on Oct. 14, 2021, relaxing in the hot tub of their Airbnb rental, when they heard a commotion from the neighbouring property.

The man testified the couple saw two black bears, one larger than the other, approximately four and a half metres up a tree.

The couple got out of the hot tub to take up a better viewing position inside the home. That's when the couple noticed a man in the neighbouring property was also watching the bears.

The witness testified that he saw the man, who he identified as Millar, retrieve a longbow and a crossbow, before putting an arrow in the longbow and pointing it up at the tree.

The witness told the judge the man fired and hit the smaller bear, which fell out of the tree. He said he was about to yell, "What the hell are you doing?" at the man, but before he could, Millar walked over to the wounded bear and shot it with the crossbow.