No charges have yet been filed against the man who deliberately drove his vehicle into young moose and filmed his action on the north coast last August.
Posted at 12:00 p.m
“No decision has been made yet,” Patricia Johnson, deputy spokeswoman for Quebec’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), told La Presse, without giving the reason.
“The time it takes for a criminal and criminal prosecutor to investigate a case varies from case to case and depends on the circumstances of each case,” she said.
At the same time, the Department of Environment’s conservation service, Combating Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP), is also exploring the possibility of filing charges.
“It’s working for now [d’analyse] continue,” said ministry spokesman Daniel Labonté.
Depending on the information gathered and the expertise required, an investigation can take several weeks or even months.
Daniel Labonté, spokesman for the MELCCFP
Several steps still need to be taken to gather all the necessary elements to file a report with the Bureau des Infractions et Amendes du Québec, Mr. Labonté said.
Charges of intentionally killing large game with a vehicle could result in a fine of between $2,500 and $12,500 and possible imprisonment, among other things, the ministry said.
Joint investigation
Sûreté du Québec (SQ) investigators and wildlife conservationists had questioned the man who took part in the macabre chase the day after the video was released, which caused a sensation beyond the north coast.
“Go away, my Tabarnak, for you will taste it like a waffle,” said the individual, pouncing on two panicked fawns, then rolling over one of them, then backing away to run over it again.
His vehicle had been confiscated by the police as “criminal property”, but the suspect had not been arrested, the SQ had then informed, who then sent the result of his investigation to the DPCP.
a breath of fresh air
These analysis times do not surprise the animal rights lawyers consulted by La Presse.
“It may very well be that they are doing a thorough investigation, it may be completely legitimate,” said John-Nicolas Morello, founder of the non-profit organization Droit animalier Québec.
He even thinks it’s “encouraging that there’s an investigation.”
Crimes against animals are now taken more seriously than they used to be, adds his colleague Chloé Surprenant.
“I feel there’s a breath of fresh air,” she said, noting that penalties for this type of offense were toughened in the Penal Code in 2008.
However, a lack of application remains, Mr. Surprenant believes, citing the opinion of an Alberta Court of Appeals judge who, in a 2021 decision, affirmed that “criminal law recognizes the offense but the penalty often imposed does not reflect the seriousness.” of behavior”.