A grizzly bear, the third in a famous family of four bears in the West Kootenay region, has been euthanized. The mother bear and her three yearlings were a common sight in Nelson as they roamed around the neighborhood. However, wildlife officials deemed them dangerous as they had become accustomed to humans and were frequently seen scavenging through yards and trash.
Earlier this month, the mother bear, previously relocated from Nelson and then returned, was put down along with one of its yearlings. The conservation officers stated that the yearling was not suitable for relocation due to its young age and limp, potentially from an injury or deformity. Two other yearlings, a male and a female, were successfully relocated but later reappeared in Christina Lake.
While the female bear has moved on, the male yearling continued to frequent residential areas and was considered unsuitable for a second relocation attempt. Consequently, the male yearling was euthanized following provincial guidelines for human-wildlife conflict response.
Provincial wildlife biologist Garth Mowat highlighted that the bears had developed a strong reliance on human food, making them habituated to people. The relocation was a last-ditch effort to encourage the bears to return to natural food sources and preserve part of the family group. Andrew Milne of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service emphasized that euthanizing bears is a final resort and a difficult decision for officers, undertaken after exhausting all other options.
Mowat warned that due to drought conditions in the B.C. Interior leading to poor berry crops, more bears might venture into communities seeking food. Officials are urging residents to eliminate potential attractants like fruit trees, garbage, and bird feeders to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.