A California man who took two bear cubs from their den in 2019 pleaded guilty to his crimes, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced Tuesday.
Cody Dylon Setzer, 29, and his co-worker, who has remained unnamed, found the den site in a fallen tree across the forest road in Yreka, California, according to CDFW. The date the cubs were taken is unknown, but wildlife officers became aware of the situation in March 2019 when Setzer contacted them because he was unable to care for them, said CDFW.
The cubs were estimated to be around 4 weeks old when taken from their den, the department said.
Setzer plead guilty to possession of prohibited species and obstructing a peace officer in the course of his duties in November of 2021. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife just recently shared this case in the hopes of encouraging anyone who witnesses wildlife poaching to report it, according to the AP.
In addition to having to pay $2,290 in fines and fees and completing 200 hours of community service, Setzer was placed on probation for 12 months with his fishing and hunting privileges suspended during that period, the department said. He was also sentenced to 90 days in county jail, with the possibility of it being removed from his sentencing if he completes his probation successfully, according to the CDFW.
Setzer said to authorities that he found them along a highway road, said CDFW. But his story rose suspicion when one officer was unable to locate bear tracks or a habitat at the location, the department claims. (RELATED: DNA Evidence Saves Tahoe Bear Blamed For Damaging Over 30 Homes From Death And Relocation)
Captain Patrick Foy of CDFW’s law enforcement division shared that Setzer’s co-worker at a timber management company ultimately confessed to the crime, The Associated Press reported. He fully cooperated with the wildlife investigation, going so far as bringing authorities back to the den site, according to the outlet.
“Bear cubs are 100% dependent upon the sow and if they had been wondering (sic) on their own they wouldn’t have survived,” said Foy.
California Black Bears are on the Move https://t.co/GdAKn9IzOp pic.twitter.com/U9eWyliqAx
— California Department of Fish and Wildlife (@CaliforniaDFW) May 24, 2018
The den site, located approximately 90 miles from where Setzer claimed to have found the bear cubs, had been destroyed, said CDFW. The cubs’ mother wasn’t found.
Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) cared for the two bear cubs until they were old enough to survive on their own, the department said. LTWC claimed they were the youngest bears ever brought to their facility, CDFW said. The cubs were released to their native habitat in April 2020. (RELATED: 500-Pound Bear Breaks Into 38 Homes, Wildlife Officials Want It Dead)