Black bear eating take-out in video prompts investigation by B.C. conservation officers
Service says feeding wildlife illegal, being near wild animals dangerous
Provincial officials responsible for managing conflict between humans and wildlife say they are investigating the circumstances of a video on social media showing a black bear eating from a food container on a bench in the resort municipality of Whistler.
"We are dismayed and disappointed at the dangerous position the individual filming this encounter placed themselves in due to the close proximity to the bear, and the apparent disregard to the safety of the bear itself," said the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) in a statement to CBC News.
The video and investigation is the latest in the province highlighting the ongoing problem of wildlife becoming habituated to human food or garbage and in some situations being killed because they end up creating safety risks.
It is illegal in B.C. to "attract wildlife" by intentionally feeding, attempting to feed or leaving things like food or garbage out in a way that attracts "dangerous wildlife."
Penalties for offences can result in fines up to $100,000 or a year in jail.
The video was posted on TikTok on Monday by a user who did not create it. It shows a black bear, in an undisclosed location, eating from a take-out container on a bench in the dark. CBC News does not know who originally took the video and what social media accounts it was posted to. Although it was posted on TikTok Monday, it is unclear when the video was originally taken.
The BCCOS said the person who took the video also follows the bear as it leaves the area, although those images do not appear on the version of the video CBC News has seen.
"Conservation officers are investigating the origin and circumstances of this video and will take enforcement action as necessary," said the release from the BCCOS.
It said once bears become used to non-natural food and show a minimal fear of people, they are, "no longer a candidate for relocation or rehabilitation due to the risk to public safety."
393 dead black bears
Predator conflict provincial statistics available for January to August of this year show that 393 black bears have been destroyed in the province, with 182 alone in August. The year 2023 is on pace to exceed the number of bears killed in 2022, when 588 were destroyed by the end of the year.
Black bears in other B.C. communities such as North Vancouver, and the Lower Mainland's Tri-cities are common and those municipalities have programs to teach residents how to keep food and garbage safe from the animals.
Whistler is a provincially-designated Bear Smart community, which is a voluntary, preventative conservation measure that encourages communities, businesses and individuals to work together to reduce bear and human conflicts.
The municipality has also seen some high-profile cases in the courts, including one where a resident was initially fined $60,000, before it was reduced to $10,500, for feeding black bears in her neighbourhood.
'Complacency can lead to escalating bear conflicts'
The BCCOS said residents and visitors are accustomed to seeing black bears, "but this complacency can lead to escalating bear conflicts that can put people, and bears, at risk.
"We cannot stress enough the importance of not feeding dangerous wildlife."
The service thanked people in the community doing their part to "help keep wildlife wild," and asked others to visit WildSafeBC for information on how to co-exist with wildlife.
The BCCOS is asking anyone with information related to the video of the black bear eating from a take-out container to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
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With files from Liam Britten