PORT ALBERNI — The bodies of six poached elk have been found near Port Alberni, with the most recent discovered last week in the wilderness east of the Alberni Inlet.

The most recent one was “the last known mature bull of its herd,” according to the Ha-Shilth-Sa newspaper published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.

Since early November, six elk have been found illegally killed in the Nuu-chah-nulth’s traditional territory, spread across a large area east of the Alberni Inlet between Bamfield and Port Alberni.

Carcasses have also been found at Museum Main, Darling Main and Coleman Main roads. The flesh was stripped from the animals, leading conservation officers to suspect the meat is being sold on the black market.

A dead female was found Dec. 28 in the Klanawa Valley with its two front legs removed.

Although the province’s wildlife authority permits First Nations to hunt Roosevelt elk on Vancouver Island, the six recent kills have all been deemed illegal.

Steve Ackles, of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, said the herds affected by the poaching are not healthy enough to sustain even limited harvests.

“Any pressure … other than the natural pressures is hard on them,” Ackles said.

Representatives from the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, a government body serving 14 First Nations, met with provincial conservation officers in Port Alberni last week to discuss the ongoing poaching. “Our nations are committed to finding those who are guilty of such crimes, regardless of who they are, and having them charged and convicted,” said Nuu-chah-nulth vice-president Ken Watts.

In December 2013, the tribal council posted a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest after elk were killed illegally in its territory. The reward has since grown to more than $30,000. “That reward remains in effect,” stated an article in the Ha-Shilth-Sa.

Ackles said the conservation service has not identified any suspects in the poaching incidents.

“Last year, the reward did generate a lot of tips. Unfortunately, not many of those tips were of much use to us,” he said.

Ackles encourages anyone with information to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277. Callers can remain anonymous, but tips need to be specific to assist investigations, he said.

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