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By Sam Bennison

Wildlife

Prince George faced the highest number of black bear deaths compared to the rest of BC

Jul 16, 2024 | 12:11 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—Prince George has been rated British Columbia’s deadliest city for black bears to live as 76 were put down by he BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) in 2023. This is over double the second highest city being Kamloops with 31 bear deaths.

However, the Fur-Bearers charity say they’re disappointed that the BCCOS wouldn’t release the location of over 50 per cent of the black bears they killed.

“Following a deadly year for black bears in British Columbia, we expected to see the familiar names of communities where issues remain unresolved,” says Lesley Fox, Executive Director of The Fur-Bearers. “Unfortunately, this year the BC COS only provided ten communities – and did not tell us where they killed 356 of the alarming 603 black bears killed.”

The organization argue that the data about where black bears are being killed will help them identify hotspots and work with communities to reduce negative encounters, and ultimately deaths of black bears.

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“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 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.”

Many of the encounters that lead to negative bear interactions can be dealt through attractant management. Secure your garbage, collect fruit off your trees, and ensure no other foodstuff is out. Fur-Bearers add that Urban expansion also leads bear to explore areas that they would normally avoid.

The top ten deadliest communities for black bears are:

• Prince George – 76
• Kamloops – 31
• Mackenzie – 28
• Smithers – 24
• Quesnel – 22
• Burns Lake – 17
• Vanderhoof – 17
• Squamish – 11
• Fort St. James – 11
• Fraser Lake – 10

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com