A Montana man has been ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution for shooting three grizzly bears, according to a from the Department of Justice.
Everett Skunkcap, of Browning, Montana, shot a 17-year-old female and her two cubs when they wandered near him and his grandchildren. He pled guilty to one count of taking a threatened species after initially claiming self-defense, . Skunkcap asked investigators if he could have the bears鈥 bodies back as trophies.
The 75-year-old admitted to shooting a different grizzly last year, according to the DOJ.
Montana鈥檚 grizzlies are a threatened species covered under the Endangered Species Act, but their population has rebounded to the point that authorities are considering lifting their protection.
For now, though, Montana鈥檚 grizzlies are protected, and Skunkcap will have to pay up or serve six months in jail, .