31 bears had to be killed in B.C.'s Elk Valley this year, conservation officers say

More than 30 bears have had to be euthanized in the Elk Valley region of British Columbia this year, most of them after becoming habituated to people, conservation officers say.

In one of the worst years for human-bear conflicts in the East Kootenay, 17 black bears were killed around Sparwood, B.C., while 12 black bears and two grizzly bears were put down in the Fernie area, according to staff at the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. 

"Several bears were injured on the highway and had to be euthanized, but the majority of cases were bears who had become habituated to human food sources and were showing levels of aggression toward people," said Ryan Gordon, a conservation officer in Fernie, B.C. 

Gordon says euthanizing a bear is not an easy decision or one officers take lightly.

"It's on a case-by-case basis. It depends if the bear is causing property destruction, risk to community safety or showing increased levels of habituation and is not scared of people. When those factors are there, then we have to interfere," he said.  

Those factors cropped up frequently in 2021, Gordon says. 

"It's been a number of years since we've had to deal with this many bears ... but it's usually based on environmental factors such as food availability." 

Most black and grizzly bears hibernate from four to six months starting in November or December. But Clayton Lamb, a wildlife scientist, says because of the summer drought and mild fall temperatures, some of these bears are still actively searching for food before they tuck themselves in for the winter. 

"It was a really bad year for huckleberry crops, and that's typically a really important food source for grizzly bears and black bears," Lamb said. 

"When bears find food waste ... those specific bears will stay out much longer than bears eating natural foods."

Lamb, who studies bear behaviour, says rehabilitation is difficult once a bear finds a high-calorie human food source, and those bears often end up being euthanized.  

Co-existence challenge

Conservation officers say there are laws surrounding feeding bears, whether that's done intentionally or unintentionally. 

"Every individual has a responsibility to ensure that they don't have any attractants left out for bears, whether that be garbage, fruit or berry bushes — anything that is ripened and ready to be picked, needs to be picked," said Gordon. 

He says people who inadvertently leave food out will be issued an order to clean it up. Those who intentionally leave food out for bears will be ticketed under the B.C Wildlife Act and will most likely be prosecuted in court. 

Lamb says this year's spike in bear euthanization illustrates a continuing co-existence challenge in the Elk Valley.

He would like to see more provincial support and programs aimed at improving access to mitigation measures. 

"We have no comprehensive co-existence program in the province. These issues will likely persist if we do not start investing in innovative solutions. Electric fencing is cost-effective and a powerful tool to protect things like livestock." 

Lamb also suggests using more bear-resistant garbage bins and removing unused fruit-bearing trees.