A Southern Interior man accused of using bears to guard a marijuana grow-op has been charged with one count of feeding dangerous wildlife.
In August, police found nine black bears around two plots containing about 1,200 marijuana plants when called to the property to dismantle an outdoor grow-op.
Christina Lake resident Allan Wayne allegedly fed the bears large quantities of dog food to make them docile. Drug-related charges have not been laid.
Wildlife conservation officers believe that as many as 26 bears were frequenting the property in search of food.
The penalties for feeding dangerous wildlife can be as high as $100,000, with a possibility of up to a year of imprisonment for a first offence.
Most of the dining bears have gone into hibernation for the winter, which saves them from having to be killed.
Officials continued to feed the bears but slowly reduced the amount of food, allowing them to return to the wild without wandering into local residences in search of food.
