Ontario taxidermist fined $60K after trying to fraudulently send polar bear mount, hides to China
An Ontario taxidermist has been fined $60,000 after trying to fraudulently send a polar bear mount and two hides to China back in 2018.
The Government of Canada says Cyril D’Souza, an Ontario taxidermist, pleaded guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice in Oshawa on Tuesday to two counts of violating the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA).
D’Souza was fined a total of $60,000, which will be placed into the federal government’s environmental damages fund. In addition, the court ordered D’Souza to forfeit one full polar bear mount and two hides or rugs.
The incident occurred in the summer of 2018. Environment and Climate Change Canada wildlife enforcement officers started an investigation when they discovered inconsistent information in the export permits used to export a polar bear mount and two hides from Ontario to China.
The federal government says under WAPPRIITA, exporters must obtain a permit before exporting regulated species from Canada. The investigation revealed that D’Souza was deceptive and planned extensively in intentionally providing false and misleading information to obtain the permit, contrary to section 11 of WAPPRIITA.
Environment and Climate Change Canada wildlife enforcement officers carried out the investigation, which was based in part on the three-pronged approach for polar bear conservation and management.
The approach identifies and tracks legal polar bear hides once they enter trade, ensuring exporters comply with the regulations related to trade and transport. The three elements of the approach include analyzing the muscle tissue DNA, analyzing the stable isotope of fur samples, and inserting encrypted microchips to track polar bear parts from harvest through export.
The collaboration with law enforcement agencies in Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the US was key in the investigation.
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