B.C. conservation officers aren't happy after seeing video of man hand-feeding bear
Anonymous photos and video were posted on Facebook
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service isn't happy after seeing a video of a man hand-feed a bear surface on social media.
Officers are now investigating the "extremely dangerous" and illegal act that it believes took place off Highway 4 near Tofino.
"The animal in this photo may hurt someone else trying to get more unnatural food or by causing a traffic accident," said the service in a Facebook post.
The photo shows a man reaching out to place what appears to be a rice cake into the mouth of a small black bear.
In a video that was taken down from an anonymous Facebook page with similar photos, a man could be seen feeding the bear at arm's length while asking the animal, "Want another one there, bud?"
The bear chomps down on the treat, backs away, before coming back after the man entices it by holding out more food.
Another person can be heard in the video remarking, "that's so cool," while others laugh.
It's exactly the type of response conservation officers don't want the public to have about incidents like these.
They warned it puts the bear at risk of getting hit by cars when they cross highways for food rewards and can endanger people.
"Feeding bears also results in them getting food conditioned and habituated, leading to further conflict," wrote the agency.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service asks those who see environmental violations to report them at 1-877-952-7277.