Conservation officers are investigating after two Roosevelt elk were shot near the north Island community of Woss.
A notice of the killings was posted on Twitter this week by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which said the animals were “unlawfully shot.”
The hunting season for roosevelt elk is in the fall. The Conservation Service also noted that not all of the edible meat was removed from the animals.
The notice comes in the wake of the service asking for public help in its investigation of the illegal harvest of three Roosevelt elk on Lake Cowichan’s north shore.
About 3,200 Roosevelt elk live in B.C., with more than 3,000 on Vancouver Island, according to the Vancouver Island Wilderness and Historical Conservation.
At one time, they were widespread in southern B.C. but their numbers have gradually dropped.
Vancouver Island is “the last remaining stronghold” in Canada for the animals, the conservation group said.
Most are on the northen portion of the Island, particularly north of Campbell River. They can also be found in mountainous areas near Nanaimo and Duncan.
Information on the shooting can be given to the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-RAPP (7277).
