Bears at elevated risk of being put down: data
Province needs to study reasons for jump in bruin-human interactions, expert says
With spring underway, black bears throughout B.C. have awakened from hibernation to seek food sources. But for those that don't find enough grass or berries, munching on trash out of a garbage can on a residential property has proven deadly.
Last year, a record 603 black bears were killed by B.C. conservation officers, up from 493 the year before, according to provincial data — the highest number recorded in the last decade.
While some wildlife conservationists say the conservation service is to blame for destroying the black bears and that it needs independent oversight, the provincial agency has attributed the problem to a rise in human conflicts with animals due to unmanaged outdoor attractants such as garbage and food scraps.
“Putting down any bear is an outcome we work so hard to prevent,” said David Karn, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
In the last decade, reports about black bears made to the conservation service have increased dramatically. Provincial data show the average annual number of calls went from 17,500 between 2014 and 2016, to an average of 24,500 for each of the last three years.
Karn said the provincial agency received more than 27,000 human-wildlife conflict reports with black bears last year, and 27 per cent involved the animals finding garbage in residential areas.
“Only two per cent of those calls led to conservation officers putting down bears to ensure public safety.”
The sharp rise in black bear deaths sparked the District of North Vancouver council to call on the Union of B.C. Municipalities last month to pass a resolution urging the establishment of an independent public board to oversee conservation officers, whose mandate falls under the Police Act.
Ellie Lamb, a wildlife adviser with Pacific Wild, said some black bears killed at conservation officers' discretion do not pose a threat to public safety, especially orphaned cubs.
This past year, the snow and water supply was lower than average and for bears specifically, drought conditions can impact food supply, says B.C.'S Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
“When bears become conditioned to non-natural foods and show a minimal fear of people, they are no longer candidates for rehabilitation or relocation, as the risk to public safety is simply too great.”
Adam Ford, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in wildlife restoration ecology with the University of B.C., disagrees that conservation officers shoulder the blame.
“I don't think we blame doctors when people are dying of cancer,” Ford said. “Conservation officers are at the tail end of a very complicated problem.”
Given that the rate of black bears being destroyed by conservation officers in B.C. has remained steady in the past decade, Ford says the answer to the problem lies in data that is not being collected by the province.
“We need to look at why there are more reports. Is it because there are more bears than there used to be, or is it because either human or black bear behaviours are changing?”
Both Ford and Holly Reisner, executive director of the North Shore Black Bear Society, believe greater enforcement for residents who do not secure their attractants would reduce black bear deaths.
The District of North Vancouver is one of the few municipalities with bylaws to prevent human conflicts with wildlife. Residents who put out their garbage for disposal before 5 a.m. on pickup day or don't secure food scraps on their property can face fines of up to $500.
“Addressing the human side of this problem requires a multi-agency governance approach that we just haven't got set up in B.C.,” Ford said.