A lone bull wood bison grazes alongside the Mackenzie Highway near Fort Providence, N.W.T., Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Braden)
Manitoba RCMP have charged a man after a report of six bison being shot and stolen from a farm in the RM of Russell-Binscarth.
Officers from the Russell detachment responded on Monday afternoon, where the farm owner discovered that the locks on his pasture gates had been replaced, and the bison were missing. Trail cameras captured four trespassers using a pickup truck and off-road vehicles to remove the animals.
Further investigation revealed a fraudulent social media ad offering a bison hunt for $1,000 per animal, which was not posted by the legal owner. Some of those who responded to the ad later realized the hunt was illegal and are now cooperating with police.
Police arrested Gerald Sean Gebler, 52, from Portage la Prairie, on Wednesday. He has been charged with theft and mischief over $5,000. Gebler turned himself in and was released pending a court appearance in January 2025.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are expected.
