Two suspects charged in connection with a viral video of a man riding a moose appeared in a Fort Nelson, B.C. courtroom on Monday.
Bradley Crook and Jaysun Pinkerton had nothing to say to media as they headed inside the courthouse for a brief afternoon meeting with a judge.
Crook and Pinkerton have each been charged with three offences under The Wildlife Act: harassing wildlife with the use of a boat, attempting to capture wildlife and hunting big game that is swimming.
Their charges stem from a video posted to YouTube in June 2015, showing a shirtless man standing at the front of a boat as it approaches a large moose wading or swimming in the water. The body of water was later identified as the remote Tuchodi Lakes, approximately 120 kilometres southwest of Fort Nelson.
The driver moves the boat closer to the moose, until it is directly behind the giant creature. The man then jumps off the boat and onto its back, where he stays seated, fist in the air, for a few seconds before falling off.
Several people can be heard laughing from the boat.
The video, posted by B.C.-based group Wolftracker TV, was viewed tens of thousands of times and sparked an investigation by B.C.'s Conservation Officer Service. As officers investigated, the video reached more than two million views on YouTube.
Pinkerton and Crook are scheduled to reappear in court next month. If convicted, the men could face maximum fines of $100,000, six months in jail, or a combination of both.
Joe Foy, national campaign director for wildlife protection group Wilderness Committee, said the potential punishments show that it is "not OK" to harass animals.
"I'm very happy they were found and charged," Foy told CTV News.
"I hope they go on to have good lives, but it's to all our benefits that our wildlife laws are followed."
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Scott Hurst
