B.C. conservation officers killed fewer black bears in 2024 but say they aren't sure why
303 kills by officers were reported in 2024, compared to 603 in 2023
British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service (COS) says it recorded a roughly 50 per cent drop in the number of black bears it killed in 2024 compared to the year prior, though it's not sure why.
The service says it's the fewest bears it's had to kill in a year since 2011 when records first started being published online.
According to numbers collected by the COS, a total of 303 black bears were killed last year, a drop from 603 in 2023. Between 500 and 600 are generally killed most years, with the highest number recorded being 632 in 2019.
The service also says it saw a decrease in the number of calls about black bears, down by about 10,000 from the year before.
Alicia Buchannan, a conservation officer in Prince George, says she can't pinpoint why there's been such a dramatic decline but hopes public education around reducing bear attractants like garbage and fruit trees is working.
"The numbers have gotten significantly better, but it's just the start, and we'd like to see it continue," she said.
Late last year, the provincial government formed a panel to review how human-bear conflicts are handled in B.C., with recommendations due this spring.
But Buchannan said there haven't been any policy changes made between 2023 and 2024 that might explain the drop.
Prince George was one of many cities that recorded a significant decline in bear sightings in 2024, with just eight being killed, according to the COS.
That followed a record number of sightings in the city in 2023 when the service declared "bearmaggedon," and RCMP pleaded with the public not to call 911 over the sightings.
Theories behind the spike in sightings ranged from drought and wildfires pushing bears into the city to seek food to new developments reducing the surrounding habitat.
In the end, 76 bears were killed in the city that year, and both citizens and advocacy groups like the Fur-Bearers called for change, pointing out that Prince George topped the list for number of bears killed "year after year."
In 2024, Williams Lake was the community with the most bears killed by conservation officers, at 13.
Drew Milne, a COS inspector on Vancouver Island, said there's very little conservation officers can do to reduce wildlife conflict compared to public policy, such as educating and fining people for leaving out attractants.
He did point out that compared to 2023, there were more wild food sources, such as salmon and berries, which may have helped keep bears out of cities.
But, he said the key is reducing the incentive bears have to come to urban areas, and the bulk of that work is around securing garbage and reducing attractants such as fruit trees and bird seed that lure the animals into urban spaces.
That message was echoed by the Fur-Bearers, who welcomed the reduction in bear deaths.
"We're pleased to see the B.C. COS is working with communities to reduce service calls and the need for interventions, and congratulate them on a positive step forward," said the organization's executive director, Lesley Fox, in a statement.
"There is still work to be done, from ensuring that non-lethal methods to reduce negative encounters are prioritized, that repeat offender municipalities, businesses and residents are met with fines and enforcement tools, and that appropriate, independent oversight is implemented."
Like Buchanan, Fox said she hopes the decline in the number of bears killed is a sign of a broader trend rather than a one-year drop.
"But really, I think the proof is going to be next year, the year after and the year after that," she said.
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With files from Hanna Petersen and All Points West