The slow creep of housing onto hillsides and into wildlife habitat has taken its toll on B.C.’s bear populations, a conservation group says.
In its annual ranking of Top 10 B.C. cities known to be deadly to bears, the group Fur Bearers is calling on people to do a better job of securing garbage that could lure bears into the crosshairs of Conservation Officers. The group says that in the last year alone, there were 603 black bears killed in the province by conservation officers.
“Many of the encounters that lead to BCCOS officers killing black bears include attractant management — such as garbage being left unsecured or put curbside inappropriately, fruit from trees being left uncollected, bird feeders and others,” reads the release from the conservation group.
“Urban expansion and resource development also lead to bears exploring areas they may otherwise avoid.”
While the sheer number of bears killed, the group is also taking aim at the government agency, saying it has failed to disclose information that could save wildlife.
Fur Bearers says the B.C. Conservation Officer Service agency wouldn’t release the location of over 50 per cent of the 603 black bears that were killed.
“Following a deadly year for black bears in British Columbia, we expected to see the familiar names of communities where issues remain unresolved,” said Lesley Fox, executive director of Fur-Bearers, in a press release.
“Unfortunately, this year the BC COS only provided ten communities — and did not tell us where they killed 356 of the alarming 603 black bears killed.”
The list provided by the BCCOS shows:
Prince George – 76
Kamloops – 31
Mackenzie – 28
Smithers – 24
Quesnel – 22
Burns Lake – 17
Vanderhoof – 17
Squamish – 11
Fort St. James – 11
Fraser Lake – 10
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