In a recent development, conservation officer Ben York said that he was 鈥渃omfortable with saying鈥� that the four bears found dumped near a Campbell River logging road were certainly smaller but 鈥渘ot cubs.鈥�

Last week a resident reported to the Conservation Officer Services (COS), that remains of four bears, some of which were small in size and were possibly cubs, were found discarded near the side of the road.

The COS is still investigating the incident since it was first reported on May 26.

York, the officer in charge of the west coast region for the Conservation Officer Service (COS), said that the issue 鈥渋s still under investigation鈥� to find out what exactly happened to the four bears whose carcasses were found near Willis Road.

The officer said that it was very hard to tell the age of the bears based on the decomposed remains.

He also said that it is possible that one of them (or some of them) were shot on site. And York said that it is also 鈥減ossible that these bears were legally hunted.鈥�

He said that based on what they could tell on-site and also going by witnesses that they spoke to, he was comfortable in saying they were not cubs.

As per regulations, there鈥檚 no open season for a bear that is in the company of a sow, or one that is below two years.

York said that the only way to conclusively age a bear is by extracting a tooth that bears markings of its age, otherwise officers go by the size.

Asked if he was confident that the bears were older than two years, York said that 鈥渁nything is possible.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e very comfortable with saying that they were not cubs, there鈥檚 no way to be 100 per cent certain of age. We鈥檙e going by the size of the remains that we were able to find and the statements of other people who saw the bodies before.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e had people coming forward since then that have said 鈥業 have seen those cubs before the bodies decomposed and they were definitely not cubs,鈥� they were big enough to be legal. So that鈥檚 what鈥檚 making us think more and more that these weren鈥檛 illegally hunted animals.鈥�

York further added, 鈥淭hat said, of course, it鈥檚 possible with the evidence we have right now, since it is decomposed remains that maybe they were younger, who knows, that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 still under investigation and that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e still asking the public to come forward with information.

He said that there still many unanswered questions 鈥渙ut there鈥� and is asking anyone with 鈥渃ritical information鈥� to come forward and speak to the COS.