B.C. pot bears can keep feeding until hibernation

The B.C. man who admitted feeding up to two dozen black bears on his property near Christina Lake says he's struck a deal with conservation officers to keep giving the animalsdog food until they leave to hibernate in early October.

In a video statement posted on the website Vimeo,Allen Piche explains his relationship with the bears as the soundtrack to the filmInto the Wild plays in the background.

"Hi, my name is Allen. I'm the guy at Christina Lake who's been feeding the bears," he says in the video asa playful raccoon nibbles on his ear.

Piche says he's been feeding the bears for a decade, and the animals havenever bothered anyone.

"We've certainly had no problems in the 10 years I've been doing this," he says, as the video shows five black bears sitting around like dogs waiting for dinner.

Domesticbruins surprise police

Piche and a woman who lives on the remote property with him were feeding the bears until the RCMP arrived a month ago to investigate a tip that there was marijuana grow-op on the property.

Police found about 1,100 pot plants on the propertybut were more surprisedto findabout 17 docile bears, which they speculated might have been domesticated to guard the pot.

Conservation officers eventually dismissedthat speculationbutsaid the bearsmight have become too dependent on humans to go back to the wild andthat some might have to be killed.

That prompted an Alberta woman to launch an online petition to pressure the government to come up with a plan to save the bears.

Now, Piche says the province has given him permission to continue feeding the bears until theygo hibernate for the winter in a few weeks.

"They've assured me we will not be killing any bears this fall," he says. "We're going to take these bears right on through to hibernation, and that will give us an entire winter to come up with better solutions.

"We want a happy ending."

Province confirms feeding plan

Rick Hildebrand, the superintendent of B.C.'s conservation service, confirmed Piche and his partner will be allowed to continue to feed the bears, because if the animals go hungry, they might become a danger to the public.

"If we cut them off cold turkey, then we are concerned about sudden rash change of behavior," Hildebrand said. "It's kind of allowing them to simulate natural behaviour as much as possible so they can go to den and not cause any public safety issues."

After the bears come out of hibernation in the spring, they will have to fend for themselves, said Hildebrand.

The couple are still facing charges under the Wildlife Act for feeding the bears, as well as criminal charges for allegedly cultivating marijuana.

Christina Lake is about 350 kilometres east of Vancouver.