Animal rights activists protest Clayton Stoner at Honda Center (Photos)
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Several animal rights activists were in front of Honda Center in advance of the Anaheim Ducks home opener against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday holding signs and yelling while people entered the arena.
This was to protest Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner for killing a famous British Columbia grizzly bear named Cheeky in 2013.
Stoner’s trial was delayed last Friday until Nov. 13, but that didn’t stop the activists from making their voices heard Monday.
Stoner is facing five charges from the hunt under the Wildlife Act. He has yet to comment to reporters on the charges since they became public in mid-September. The group believes Stoner should be suspended by the NHL for the act.
“I realized that nothing had been done to him, so I decided we needed to put a protest together and raise awareness because it wasn’t getting any press, to at minimum get him suspended,” organizer Judie Mancuso said.
[Play Yahoo Daily Fantasy and get a 100% deposit bonus with your first deposit]
Mancuso, who works with the non-profit Social Compassion in Legislation, said she was expecting 80-100 protestors. As of 6:30 p.m. there were probably close to 20.
“People are outraged by it obviously,” Mancuso said.
Hunters need to be Canadian citizens or physically present in British Columbia for six calendar months. From a mid-September article in the Vancouver Sun:
The legal argument is that Stoner did not meet those conditions due to living out of the province as a professional hockey player. At the time of the hunt, Stoner played for the Minnesota Wild but joined Anaheim as a free agent in 2014. Anyone who cannot meet that criteria must pay to hunt with a licensed B.C. guide-outfitter — typically, about $25,000 US for a coastal grizzly. The charges carry potential maximum fines of $50,000 to $250,000.
Stoner once discussed his hunting habits in 2013.
“I grew up hunting and fishing in British Columbia and continue to enjoy spending time with my family outdoors,” said Stoner, in a statement released through the Minnesota Wild. “I applied for and received a grizzly bear hunting licence through a British Columbia limited-entry lottery last winter and shot a grizzly bear with my licence while hunting with my father, uncle and a friend in May. I love to hunt and fish and will continue to do so with my family and friends in British Columbia.”
At points, Mancuso took a bullhorn and started yelling, “Killing is not a sport” and “Clayton Stoner is a criminal.”
[Yahoo Fantasy Hockey: Sign up for a league today]
She compared him to NFL quarterback Michael Vick who went to jail for running a dogfighting ring. She also compared Stoner to Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed a famed lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe last July.
According to The National Observer the charges are specifically hunting without a license, hunting out of season, two counts of knowingly making a false statement to obtain and unlawful possession of dead wildlife. They carry maximum penalties of $250,000 and two-year prison terms.
(S/t LA Times)
– – – – – – –
Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS
