In Saskatchewan, resource violations such as poaching, wasting of game, over-limits of fish and hunting out of season are serious issues.
To assist in the apprehension of poachers and other resource violators, Ministry of Environment conservation officers have a number of tools at their disposal. DNA samples from wildlife, tire tracks, information provided to the Turn In Poachers line and other evidence collected at crime scenes can help lead to successful prosecutions.
Officers can use a metal detector to find bullet fragments in animals that have been shot and left to waste.
In certain cases, they can even have the ministry’s K9 unit assist with the investigation.
For the last 10 years, Corporal Jamie Chartrand has served as the ministry’s K9 handler. Based in Prince Albert, Chartrand and his six-year-old Belgium Malinois named Jaks, respond to numerous calls across the province each year to locate evidence or missing persons.
Poachers often take wildlife during closed seasons, after hours, from private land, roadways and by other unlawful means.
K9s can search large areas quickly to locate physical evidence such as firearms, spent shell casings, wildlife parts, and even the smallest amount of blood. Jaks can search areas 10 times faster and with greater accuracy than numerous officers performing the same task. Jaks saves officers valuable time and also frees up officers to continue with other parts of the investigation.
“There are many cases where Jaks has been used to locate evidence that would not have been located by officers,” said Chartrand. “We have located firearms, knives, blood, spears and drugs, in addition to a number of wanted suspects. Locating spent shell casings can be very useful in poaching investigations and many other offences, such as discharging a firearm within 500 metres of occupied dwellings or unlawful hunting.”
In one case, for example, where a white-tailed buck had been shot and left in a field located within 400 metres of an occupied farm house, the K9 unit was called in and located three brass casings. This aided in determining the make and caliber of firearm and the direction from where shots were taken. This type of information can also lead to indicators such as tire tracks, foot prints and other evidence.
But illegal hunting cases are just one of the duties Chartrand and Jaks can be called in for. They also respond to calls from other police agencies requiring assistance.They train weekly with other K9 units and take part in community education and public relations work on behalf of the ministry.
Over the years, Chartrand, Jaks and his previous service dog named Keela, have participated in some unique calls.
“On one occasion we tracked and located an American hunter and guide illegally outfitting and hunting on private land,” Chartrand stated. “We have also assisted other agencies by locating firearms and spent casings used in armed robberies and murder investigations.”
When dealing with this type of criminal activity, the job does come with a certain amount of risk.
“Conservation officers deal with armed suspects on a regular basis, as well as dangerous wildlife and other high-risk situations,” Chartrand explained. “That is why these service dogs are trained to protect their handlers, fellow officers and the public from harm.”
Provincial conservation officers are uniformed law enforcement officers and special constables with full police powers. Conservation officers often conduct joint patrols with the RCMP in northern and rural areas and assist with traffic control at accident scenes.
They participate in search and rescue operations, provide emergency response support and conduct arson investigations for provincial forest fires.By working with other agencies and the local community, conservation officers help protect Saskatchewan’s environment.
