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Online video of B.C. bears being fed by children sparks investigation

Jul 12, 2018 | 1:08 PM

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service is investigating allegations a Vancouver-area family feed a mother black bear and her cub.

Conservation Officer Lonnie Schoenthal says a complaint was received on the government-run tip line that permits anonymous reporting of wildlife, fisheries or environmental infractions.

Videos posted to social media, but since removed, showed adults and children handing out food, including an entire roll of crackers, to the sow and cub though an open window of a home.

The videos, which have been circulating on several media outlets, show two girls hand-feeding a cub from a patio and an adult cracking open a sliding glass door to slip a roll of crackers to the mother bear, who snatches the food and walks away.