B.C. sets up panel on bear deaths after 154 killed in 6 months

TheB.C.government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.

Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, says it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a "better and second chance at life in the wild."

B.C. government figures say conservation officers destroyed 603 black and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.

Scapillati says the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.

Environment Minister George Heyman says in a statement they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers "have the trust of the communities they serve," and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.

Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, says they've been calling for such a committee for decades, and perhaps the upcoming provincial election may have spurred the government to action.

"This move demonstrates the government is listening," said Fox. "I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are."

Fox said the partnership came from "a place of long frustration" as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is "no longer tolerating this kind of approach."

"I think that the Conservation Officer Service and theB.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it," said Fox.

Fox said there's a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.

"I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, " said Fox.