Bears that are conditioned to human food sources are not candidates for relocation or rehabilitation, due to the risk to public safety, says the Ministry of Environment.
On Friday, Conservation Officers had put down a black bear near the Taylor Meadows campground in Garibaldi Provincial Park. It was displaying behaviour determined to be too much of a public safety risk, a ministry representative said.
“Putting down any bear is an unfortunate outcome that we work so hard to prevent. The bear repeatedly accessed food bags from caches, returned to the campground numerous times and showed a minimal fear of people,” the representative told the Squamish Reporter.
In situations where a food-conditioned bears becomes problematic and continues to revisit areas for food sources, BC Parks may take action by closing the area to provide the bear opportunity to move on. BC Parks and the COS are encouraging campers and hikers to ensure they take precautions when in bear country, including travelling in groups, carrying bear spray and making sure attractants are securely stored.
COS encourages people to learn safety tips and ways to prevent bear conflicts.
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