B.C. and Yukon compare notes on bear safety
Number of bears killed by conservation officers in B.C. has been halved since 1990s
Two wildlife experts from B.C. say that province's experience with bear control could help Yukon.
The two met with representatives from municipalities and First Nations on Thursday in Whitehorse, as Yukon has seen an increase in the number of bears killed in recent years.
Mike Badry works with the BC Parks and Conservation Officer Service division and is responsible for the province's Wildlife-Human Conflict Prevention Strategy.
He says the number of bears killed by conservation officers in B.C. has been reduced by about half since the 1990s.
The conservation service records bear encounters and euthanizations by fiscal year from April to April.
The number of black bears put down by conservation officers ranged from about 700 to 1,600 animals per year in the 1990s.
In 2014-2015, B.C. conservation officers killed 564 black bears. The next year, the number was 497.
The total number for the 2017-2018 fiscal year was 487.
So far this year, with numbers not yet published for March, the tally is 370 black bears killed by conservation officers across the province, which would be an especially low year.
Badry says some fluctuation in the numbers from year to year is natural, but he credits programs such as the British Columbia Conservation Foundation's WildSafeBC and Bear Smart initiatives. In 2002, B.C's Ministry of Environment began the Bear Smart Community Program which focuses on education and working to certify municipalities as Bear Smart.
"We have seen a trend of fewer bears being destroyed, in the long term over the last 15 years since we began this program. We hope to see that continue. There's lots of factors that contribute to the level of conflict — the big one is just the availability of natural food to bears — so those those levels fluctuate year to year. But over the long term we are seeing a reduction," Badry said.
Workshop in Whitehorse discusses bins, garbage and more
Vanessa Isnardy, provincial coordinator for WildSafeBC, was also meeting municipal and First Nations' representatives Thursday in Whitehorse.
She says public education in B.C. has focused on reducing attractants and that doesn't only mean household waste.
"You know, restaurants have grease barrels or compost or livestock or even bird feeders — all of these are all attractions for bears."
One technique which has been used with municipalities' support in parts of B.C. is to leave little notes on people's garbage if bins are left out the night before pickup. The notes inform people that waste left outdoors can attract bears.
"We do notice that when people get that warning sticker, it starts to connect the dots, and we're seeing some impact and some changes," Isnardy said.
Bear encounters should be expected year-round
Thursday's session, which wasn't open to media, happened a day after Yukon's chief coroner released a series of recommendations relating to a 2018 grizzly attack which killed a woman and her infant daughter.
The coroner's report acknowledges the mother could not have reasonably been expected to do anything to prevent what was a sudden and unusual predatory attack. But the report does make some recommendations to the Yukon government on public education efforts.
One recommendation is to highlight the fact that bears can be encountered year-round.
Badry agrees and says that's been the experience in B.C., though the context there is often far more urban than in Yukon.
"In southern parts of the province bears can be active all year round. And so we want to make sure that people remain vigilant," he said.