While bear attacks on humans are not considered common in B.C., there have been a number of incidents over the years where bears have either attacked or killed a human.
Just last week a woman was killed on Fountain First Nation land near Lillooet by what conservation officers believe was a black bear, and now four have been killed, with officers hoping that includes the bear responsible for the deadly attack.
“It was a shock,” Chief Art Adolph of the Xaxli’p (Fountain) First Nations, told Global BC. “The lady, she was an elder in our community and she was really well looked up to.”
“It was a sad loss we’re experiencing.”
Based on evidence, conservation officers know the woman was alive when she was attacked by the bear, but the catalyst behind the attack is unknown at this time.
There have been other attacks on humans in B.C., but the reasoning behind the attacks can differ, ranging from a surprise encounter to one where a mother bear is protecting her cubs from what she perceives as danger.
According to Bear Aware about 800 black bears and 40 grizzlies are killed on average each year due to threats to human safety, and those numbers are only going to climb as human populations expand further into the surrounding wilderness and bears have increased competition for food.
In September 2005, Arthur Louie was killed by what conservation officers believe was a grizzly bear sow southeast of Prince George.
Just a few weeks earlier a grizzly bear attacked then 13-year-old Christopher Solecki near Burns Lake, but he managed to escape.
In July 2007, Robin Kochorek was killed near the Panorama ski resort in eastern B.C., and it appeared there was no obvious motive for the attack.
Jim West was attacked by a bear when he was out walking his dogs near 70 mile house in October 2008. He managed to kill the bear, whose two cubs then had to be euthanized as they would not survive the winter without their mother.
About one year later, two men who were camping near Canal Flats in the east Kootneys were attacked by a grizzly bear while they lay sleeping in their tent. They managed to chase the bear away.
This is just a snapshot of some of the attacks, but BC Parks warns that a “˜fed bear is a dead bear’, and bears should never become food-conditioned and lose their natural fear of humans.
They recommend that in order to avoid surprising a bear, people can make warning noises or loud sounds, keep their eyes open for any sign of bear in the surrounding area, such as tracks, trampled vegetation, or overturned rocks.
To report a conflict with wildlife that threatens human safety, call 1-877-952-7277.
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