They’re called ‘Ursus Americanus’. And the Rockies have one of the world’s largest populations of them.Otherwise known as black bears, British Columbia has turned into a virtual killing ground for the furry four legged creatures.And Prince George is proving to be the deadliest place in British Columbia for the bothersome bruins.According to government statistics, 76 of them were killed by provincial government wildlife officers or more than double the 32 taken down the year before.Kamloops had 31 — compared to six in 2022 — while Mackenzie had 28 compared to eight the year before. The irony is that Kamloops has a ‘bear smart’ certification meant to promote co-existence with the mammals..According to the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, also known as Fur-Bearers, Prince George has led the list for six of the last eight years, with the numbers of animals killed usually in the 20s and 30s. The previous record was 45 in 2020, while 36 were killed in 2021 and 32 in 2022.More than 263 of the critters have been killed since 2015.The group, formed in 1953, has filed freedom of information requests each of the last three years and publishes them to its website.The 76 animals killed in Prince George were the most in a single municipality since the Fur-Bearers started releasing the data in 2016, and followed a year referred to by Prince George RCMP as ‘bearmaggedon’, as numerous bear sightings led to a plea for people not to use 911 to report non-emergency bear sightings..These are animals killed by game officers and not ones hit by cars or other accidental causes.According to BC's Environment Ministry, bears are only killed after officers determine they are not candidates for relocation or rehabilitation. That includes cases where bears have become habituated to eating garbage in urban environments.Prince George is situated in an urban forest so it’s understandable that it would have higher incidences of contact with humans. But officials people and specifically lax attitudes around garbage and trash handling, as well as an abundance of fruit trees in local yards.Urban expansion and resource development also lead to bears exploring areas they may otherwise avoid.“Everyone can participate in promoting coexistence and making positive change for bears in their communities,” Fur Bearers said.Compared to prior years, the province this year only released date for the top ten municipalities, which suggests the total of 500 bears killed last year is likely much higher.“The location of where over 50% of the black bears killed remains unknown by the public, and that’s completely unacceptable both for conservation and government accountability,” says executive director Lesley Fox. “We’re calling on the BC COS to begin publishing bear kill statistics monthly, by location, for the public to see. There is no way for communities to do better when they don’t know there’s a problem.”Similar statistics for Alberta weren’t immediately available.
They’re called ‘Ursus Americanus’. And the Rockies have one of the world’s largest populations of them.Otherwise known as black bears, British Columbia has turned into a virtual killing ground for the furry four legged creatures.And Prince George is proving to be the deadliest place in British Columbia for the bothersome bruins.According to government statistics, 76 of them were killed by provincial government wildlife officers or more than double the 32 taken down the year before.Kamloops had 31 — compared to six in 2022 — while Mackenzie had 28 compared to eight the year before. The irony is that Kamloops has a ‘bear smart’ certification meant to promote co-existence with the mammals..According to the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, also known as Fur-Bearers, Prince George has led the list for six of the last eight years, with the numbers of animals killed usually in the 20s and 30s. The previous record was 45 in 2020, while 36 were killed in 2021 and 32 in 2022.More than 263 of the critters have been killed since 2015.The group, formed in 1953, has filed freedom of information requests each of the last three years and publishes them to its website.The 76 animals killed in Prince George were the most in a single municipality since the Fur-Bearers started releasing the data in 2016, and followed a year referred to by Prince George RCMP as ‘bearmaggedon’, as numerous bear sightings led to a plea for people not to use 911 to report non-emergency bear sightings..These are animals killed by game officers and not ones hit by cars or other accidental causes.According to BC's Environment Ministry, bears are only killed after officers determine they are not candidates for relocation or rehabilitation. That includes cases where bears have become habituated to eating garbage in urban environments.Prince George is situated in an urban forest so it’s understandable that it would have higher incidences of contact with humans. But officials people and specifically lax attitudes around garbage and trash handling, as well as an abundance of fruit trees in local yards.Urban expansion and resource development also lead to bears exploring areas they may otherwise avoid.“Everyone can participate in promoting coexistence and making positive change for bears in their communities,” Fur Bearers said.Compared to prior years, the province this year only released date for the top ten municipalities, which suggests the total of 500 bears killed last year is likely much higher.“The location of where over 50% of the black bears killed remains unknown by the public, and that’s completely unacceptable both for conservation and government accountability,” says executive director Lesley Fox. “We’re calling on the BC COS to begin publishing bear kill statistics monthly, by location, for the public to see. There is no way for communities to do better when they don’t know there’s a problem.”Similar statistics for Alberta weren’t immediately available.
