A Mississauga man has been fined $2,500 for shooting a bald eagle.
Ning Pan pleaded guilty under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act to hunting specially protected wildlife and received a fine of $2,500. His hunting licence has been suspended for one year.
Justice of the Peace Walter Rojek heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in Guelph on Feb. 10.
Court heard that on the afternoon of Oct. 19, 2015, an off-duty Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) provincial offences officer contacted Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) conservation officers regarding an illegal waterfowl hunt observed on GRCA property.
Conservation officers went to the property known as Wilson’s Flats in former Pilkington Township and determined that Pan shot and killed a bald eagle while hunting waterfowl.
MNRF officials are reminding hunters that it is their responsibility to properly identify the wildlife they are hunting and that it is illegal to shoot specially protected birds. The bald eagle is also listed as a species of special concern under the provincial Endangered Species Act.
For more information on hunting regulations, visit ontario.ca/hunting. To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF tips line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time, contact a local ministry office during regular business hours or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
