Human-bear conflicts in B.C. have nearly doubled since 2016

B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service (COS) says it’s seeing a surge in human-wildlife conflicts, largely driven by bear encounters.

The service has fielded more than 10,000 calls since April 1 this year. About 8,900 of those calls were related to bears.

That’s nearly double the some 4,900 bear-related calls the service received over the same period last year.

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Deputy Chief Chris Doyle said the bulk of the calls have come from the Skeena, South Coast, Vancouver Island and Kootenay areas.

“Many of these conflicts were and are preventable, so the COS would like to remind the public to secure attractants, such as garbage and fruit that may attract bears,” he said.

It is an offence under the BC Wildlife Act to feed or attract wildlife, who can become habituated to human food sources.

Last month, the COS said it had already issued nearly two dozen tickets in the Lower Mainland alone for failing to properly secure trash.

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Human-bear conflicts have been a growing concern in recent years.

Back in May, B.C. conservation officers put down 119 black bears deemed to be “problem bears,” the highest number for a month in the past six years.

READ MORE: City of Coquitlam issues double the number of fines for leaving garbage out compared to 2016

In June, some Squamish residents complained after the COS destroyed a mother bear and two cubs that had been regularly eating trash.

Last summer, the City of Coquitlam found itself at the centre of the bear controversy, issuing dozens of fines to residents for violating its trash bylaw, just weeks after a child was mauled by a habituated bear.

Coquitlam residents can face a $500 fine if they put their trash out before 5:30 a.m. on collection day.