Latest news with #WildSafeBC
Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Aggressive black bear killed in Britannia Beach for public safety
A black bear that had been acting aggressively was killed by conservation officers in Britannia Beach on May 15, the Ministry of Environment and Parks confirms. The bear had to be destroyed to 'ensure public safety as per provincial response guidelines,' said a ministry spokesperson. The bear had become habituated to humans and was displaying unnatural, food-conditioned behaviour that escalated, including accessing garbage and non-natural food attractants, as well as multiple attempts to access homes, according to the spokesperson. Though no one was injured, the bear caused property damage and repeatedly charged at people—including a responding conservation officer—as well as local dogs. Posts on the Britannia Beach Community Bulletin Board note that the bear had not been deterred by noise, shouting or any usual deterrent. According to WildSafeBC, black bears become more assertive or destructive when they learn to associate humans or their activities with food. Bears eat mostly vegetation but are also carnivores, and while they do not actively hunt humans and usually avoid human confrontation, they can respond if threatened, or in this case, when they have become habituated. Bears have a profound sense of smell, being able to locate food over a kilometre away. The Conservation Officer Service (COS), which receives 14,000 to 25,000 calls per year regarding black bear encounters, will continue to work to increase awareness and education around the importance of attractant management, the spokesperson said. 'Securing materials that may attract bears, such as garbage, pet food and birdseed, is the best way to help keep people and bears safe,' the ministry spokesperson said. Wildlife conflicts involving bears that are aggressive, or sightings in urban areas should be reported to the police or the COS at 877-952-7277. Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter. This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada. Leave a comment Have a story idea? Letter to the editor
CBC
15-05-2025
- CBC
Cougar on the prowl in Saanich's urban Uptown area prompts police warning
Saanich police have issued a public warning after a cougar was spotted prowling around the Greater Victoria city's urban Uptown neighbourhood in several locations Wednesday night. It's the second police warning about a cougar on south Vancouver Island this week after Central Saanich police urged caution after one of the animals was spotted near Saanichton village centre on Tuesday. In a Facebook post made Thursday morning, Saanich police said officers spotted the animal at around 10 p.m. in the 3800 block of Rowland Ave., and later received reports of it walking along the Lochside Trail between Darwin Avenue and Saanich Road in Swan Lake Park. A video posted to a local Facebook page shows the animal walking near a residential complex just north of the Uptown Shopping Centre, across from the city's main fire hall. Police say the animal has been reported to the conservation officer service and the public has been asked to use caution. "If you encounter the cougar walk away slowly and call 911," the post says. According to WildSafeBC, cougars account for approximately 2,500 calls to conservation officers in B.C. every year, though many turn out to be other large cats, and attacks are "very rare." "If you encounter a cougar, keep calm and never run," the agency says.
CBC
08-04-2025
- General
- CBC
'Don't have the headphones on': Safety urged as B.C. bears emerge from hibernation
As dozy bears emerge from winter hibernation this spring, residents reminded to secure garbage Officials are urging residents to be alert and secure their garbage bins as B.C.'s bears wake up from their winter hibernation over the coming weeks. There are between 120,000 and 150,000 black bears in the province, according to advocacy group WildSafeBC, and the dozy bears start getting more active in the spring after months of sleep. Wildlife safety advocates and conservation officers are urging residents to be aware of their surroundings when out in the woods. The City of Kamloops is rolling out a program to offer bear-resistant garbage bins throughout the city, as officials and advocates say unsecured garbage bins are the primary cause of human-bear conflict. WATCH | Port Moody works to coexist with bears: Media Video | Port Moody, B.C., working to coexist with black bears Caption: Port Moody has officially been given the province's 'Bear Smart' designation – as part of an effort to build communities where people and bears can coexist in urban environments. As CBC's Michelle Morton reports, it comes after conservation officers killed a decade-high number of black bears last year. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. "Especially now it's spring, and people have been holed up in their house ... they want to kind of go out, do yard work," said Dan Milokay, a co-ordinator with WildSafeBC in Maple Ridge, B.C. "They'll leave the garage door open as they're working in the yard. "The bear smells the garbage, comes into the garage and ... grabs some food like a lasagna and runs out, eats it. And then they come back for more." Milokay says that bears who have been habituated to human food can try to rip open garage doors and break windows once they want to get their reward. But the advocate says the number of bears getting killed in Maple Ridge has been going down over the last decade, which he attributed to more education and safety efforts. "Don't have the headphones on or going through the park looking at your cell. Be aware of the surroundings," Milokay advised. The advocate said that, in addition to looking for trails and claw marks, British Columbians should listen for the sound of animals like crows when they're out in the backcountry. "Crows are almost like nature's drones," he said. "They will change their caw in order to warn the small ground animals, like squirrels and stuff, that a predator is in the area. They need to hide. "As long as you're walking and you're listening and you're kind of knowing that, 'Oh, that sounds different than what I'm used to them sounding like,' then that puts you on alert." Conservation officer urges attention According to numbers collected by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, a total of 303 black bears were killed last year, a drop from 603 in 2023. Between 500 and 600 are generally killed most years, with the highest number recorded being 632 in 2019. Murray Smith, a conservation officer who works out of the Mission, B.C., office, says that during spring, the office gets between 30 and 60 reports a day, most of which are to do with bears. "Fruit trees, garbage, bird seed are all high, high attractants for bears," he said. "Those are the areas that need to be really focused on by the public, so we don't bring bears into our community unnecessarily." In the City of Kamloops, the city is rolling out a program where residents can pay $20 per year to get bear-resistant garbage bins. "Not everyone has access to a garage or a shed to keep, store, their bear resistant carts," said Danielle Sparks, the environmental services supervisor for the city. Sparks says that the bear-resistant bins were tested at a wildlife park, and it took bears about 30 minutes to get into them. "It's not a perfect solution," she said. "[But] 30 minutes of a bear working on it, you're probably going to hear it, or a neighbour is going to hear it and they're going to ... ideally come out, scare the bear."
