Conservation officers have destroyed 22 black bears on the Sunshine Coast since April 2019 – an increase from last year’s nine and the previous year’s 16.
The high count this year corresponds with a similar increase in the number of complaints to the Conservation Officer Service (COS).
From April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, the COS received 497calls about black bears. Those numbers dropped to 352 the following year, but in 2019 calls were back up.
Since April 1, 2019, the COS has received 543 black bear calls, “and we’re not done yet,” said COS officer Leyland Klassen.
COS reported in early June that two bears were killed after break and enters into homes and vehicles and one was destroyed for humane reasons due to injuries by a vehicle.
Klassen linked the number of bears killed to “poor attractant management from citizens, which habituate and food condition bears to the point where they become a public safety issue.”
To address the provincewide problem, COS conducted an attractant audit during the summer and fall across B.C., focusing on residential, recreational and commercial areas in communities with ongoing bear conflicts. A second phase is expected to start this spring once bears begin searching for food.
On the Upper and Lower Sunshine Coast, nine violation tickets, 36 Dangerous Wildlife Protection Orders and eight written warnings were issued to residents in September and October. “Powell River is lumped in there, but the majority of enforcement actions were in the Lower Sunshine Coast,” Klassen told Coast Reporter.
The nine $230 violation tickets were issued to people who left attractants on their property that attracted bears or would have likely attracted them.
Dangerous Wildlife Protection Orders require a property owner to remove an unsecured attractant, such as garbage, compost, birdseed and pet food. Failing to do so results in a $575 fine.
As for preventing bear deaths, it’s a misconception that calling the COS about bears will result in their destruction, said Klassen. Rather, it’s better to call in case it can lead to preventable actions. “If you change people’s behaviour, the animal’s behaviour follows,” he said.
“If people don’t call … and [then] the call is a bear breaking into a structure or car and it’s extremely habituated, food conditioned and not afraid of humans, our options are greatly limited,” he said. “I’ll do everything in my power to avoid it, because I don’t like doing it.”
Since last April, he said, approximately five bears were relocated a short distance and about four cubs were sent to a rehabilitation centre.
Despite public outreach, Klassen said it is still common to find garbage left in unsecured bins – an easy target for bears and the most pervasive attractant on the Sunshine Coast.
“My rule of thumb is that if a human being can get into it, a bear can easily get into it. People need to make it difficult for bears in terms of accessing it and the easiest way is to lock it in a structure,” such as a garage or shed, he said.
While Klassen stressed the importance of education, that mission was thwarted this year by a truncated Wildsafe BC coordinator contract. Normally, the position runs from spring to fall, but the coordinator was hired late and left the position early.
“This year we were a little bit hampered with that program. We’re hoping next year the position will be stable,” said Klassen. COS staffing issues on the Sunshine Coast over the past three years have also led to more reliance on the program.
During budget deliberations in December, Sunshine Coast Regional District directors approved funding for the WildSafe BC program to operate on the Sunshine Coast in 2020, though the decision has yet to be finalized.
A community group that launched last October is also continuing its efforts to educate the public, reduce wildlife conflicts and prevent bear deaths. Founder Irina Fox told Coast Reporter “conversations are happening” with local governments on the Sunshine Coast and a meeting is being planned for mid-January for prospective volunteers. The Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance Facebook Page will provide updates and meeting details.
