While multiple food-conditioned black bears around Revelstoke this year have forced the BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) to make difficult decisions, one officer says local awareness is on a "good trajectory."
Black Press Media recently learned that by June 30, two black bears had been killed in the area by provincial conservation officers.
According to COS, one black bear was reported injured back on Feb. 14, south along Highway 23 from Blanket Creek Provincial Park. Officers found the bear immobile along Hardman Forest Service Road, which was subsequently euthanized "for humane reasons."
Then, early this last June, a black bear exhibiting aggressive and food-conditioned behaviour was reported to the COS while visiting a residential area in Revelstoke. It reportedly charged one or more people and was dispatched by officers on June 3.
"Bears with a conflict history that show a minimal fear of people are not candidates for relocation or rehabilitation, as the risk to public safety is too great," the COS explained.
Last Sunday, Aug. 3, there was a report of hikers who were visiting Glacier National Park who had a black bear make repeated visits to their campsite at Canyon Hot Springs. This area falls on Crown land, between Glacier and Mount Revelstoke national parks, so the COS in Golden was notified of the bear by campers.
Field CO Michael Boudreau, based in Golden, said that within just four days, he'd received four complaints of the same black bear seeking food around Canyon Hot Springs. He described the bear as a food-conditioned adult, which some complainants had recounted coming right up to their tent while they were inside. The bear was also reported to have opened an unlocked vehicle door to access food.
However, Boudreau credited the resort for having good practices and signage in place for securing attractants.
"That business was actually doing quite a good job at messaging," he said.
This time of year, Boudreau said, not only attractants but also dry conditions can lure bears toward human settlements as they struggle to find enough food.
"Just because a bear is hanging around, it doesn't mean there's attractants in the area," he noted, also mentioning that the Albert Canyon is a natural wildlife corridor. "No surprise, given the amount of food in the area."
Similar to the bear that visited Revelstoke in June, relocation would prove ineffective regardless of whether human error caused these circumstances, Boudreau said. Since receiving the complaints, he's deployed a live trap in the Albert Canyon area for the black bear in question.
"Should that bear be captured and positively identified, it will be destroyed," he added.
According to Boudreau, the COS follows practices for killing wildlife set by the Canadian Council on Animal Care. He also made clear that reporting issues to the COS's 24-hour hotline by no means guarantees a bear will be destroyed.
"The COS doesn't take a cavalier approach to this," he added, noting that euthanizing bears is one of the hardest tasks for officers to carry out in their jobs and is thoroughly informed by science, field observation and calculated decision-making.
As well, though Boudreau said it would be pretty difficult for the Revelstoke area to hit net-zero human-bear conflict, he credited the fact that issues are arising much less than even just 10 years ago. As Boudreau reminded, it was only a few decades back that people endorsed "dump bear watching" as a great way to see wildlife, hooked on human food at landfills.
"Those days aren't that long ago," he said, emphasizing that communities such as Revelstoke have already come far to properly secure attractants. "I think it's on a good trajectory."
And while "there's not a CO out there that wouldn't be thrilled" to see zero conflict with bears, Boudreau is happy to see communities moving in the right direction through growing bear awareness.
He encourages residents and visitors to report issues with bears to the COS hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
