Three men fined after woodland caribou killed near La Ronge

Chasing and killing a woodland caribou on a northern lake has cost three men $18,600 in fines.

In a media release Tuesday, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment said the last of the men was sentenced in early January in La Ronge Provincial Court. The others had their matters dealt with in July of last year.

According to the ministry, La Ronge conservation officers got reports in late April of 2022 that a caribou had been unlawfully killed on Russell Lake, about 450 kilometres north of La Ronge.

The ministry said the officers’ investigation determined the incident involved employees of a local drilling company who had been working in the area. The company is owned by Zane Layman.

The release said that on May 5, officers interviewed two employees — Carter Cossette and Robin Louis Jr. — who provided statements about the incident.

“Cellphone video and photos obtained from the pair showed two woodland caribou being chased by three snowmobilers for approximately 13 kilometres,” the release said.

“The footage also showed one animal falling through the ice, recovering, then being chased to exhaustion. One of the snowmobilers, later established to be Layman, then killed the animal with a knife.”

According to the ministry, officers searched Layman’s home in a subdivision south of La Ronge on May 9 and gathered evidence, including knives, clothing, equipment and electronic devices.

The ministry said Cossette pleaded guilty in La Ronge Provincial Court in July to unlawfully chasing wildlife with a vehicle and was fined $1,800. Louis Jr., who didn’t appear in court, was found guilty of the same offence and fined $2,800.

Both men also received one-year hunting suspensions.

The ministry’s release said Layman pleaded guilty in La Ronge court on Jan. 9 of this year to unlawful hunting and using a vehicle to chase wildlife. He was fined $14,000 and banned from hunting for four years.

The boreal woodland caribou is a federally listed threatened species under the Species at Risk Act, the ministry noted.