So far, it’s been a good year for bears

Bear conservationists on the North Shore and in Whistler are cautiously optimistic.

So far this year, no black bears have been destroyed for coming too close to people and property in either of these places while rummaging for food.

“It’s so quiet on the North Shore right now, I don’t have any bad news to report,” Christine Miller told the Georgia Straight on June 29. “It’s absolutely better than it’s ever been.”

As a specialist with the B.C. Conservation Foundation’s Bear Aware program, Miller is involved in bear-proofing work at the community level and helping residents resolve bear-related problems.

“There must be a lot of berries in the mountains,” Miller speculated, although she noted that the North Shore bear hot line (604-990-BEAR [2327]) has received some calls about the mammals getting into bird feeders and garbage. “People are very good at letting us know, and they try to work on solutions with us.”

She said that conservationists in Coquitlam have informed her that there have been no bear killings in that municipality either this year.

Ten black bears were put down on the North Shore in 2008 after becoming a nuisance, while 13 were killed in Coquitlam in that same year, according to figures provided by Bear Aware provincial coordinator Jacques Drisdelle.

A North Shore bear-hazard assessment released in 2006 by McCrory Wildlife Services Ltd. showed that from a high of 39 bears killed in 1999, the numbers dropped to 10 in 2000, two in 2001, none in 2002, one in 2003, and 10 in 2004.

Sylvia Dolson, executive director of the Whistler-based Get Bear Smart Society, recalled in a phone interview that 11 bears were shot in the resort municipality last year.

Like the North Shore and Coquitlam, Whistler hasn’t seen any bear killings so far in 2009.

“I hope that this trend continues,” Dolson told the Straight. “We still need to work very hard to make sure that people don’t leave garbage out or other things that attract bears to their back yards. This kind of thing is never over. Even though things seem like they’re going well, it can turn overnight if we fall back to old habits.”

According to the North Shore Black Bear Network, at least 1,000 bears are killed every year in B.C. because of the real or perceived danger they pose due to their presence—drawn by food—in residential areas.

For information on how to bear-proof your residence or what to do if you see or encounter a bear, www.northshorebears.com is a good place to start.