The grizzly bear that took up residence in upper Gibsons this week has successfully been captured and is being relocated, thanks to the efforts of local conservation officers.
The BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS)’s Dean Miller said the young male grizzly bear was relocated from Gibsons area after it continued to move farther into the urban environment and began accessing human food waste.
The bear was captured using a live trap following sightings near schools and in collaboration with RCMP and the public.
He said traps like this are the only way to protect the people who are helping transport the bear.
“Fortunately, with some very keen efforts and quick thinking, we were able to immobilize the bear, capturing it, and now we're just in the process of transporting it,” he said.
He said the operation was successful due to timely information from the public and school district.
Remarking that coastal grizzly bear populations are “very fragile,” he said operations like this require a high level of planning, consideration and a lot of people.
Miller said the grizzly is healthy and being cared for.
Conservation officers have consulted their large carnivore provincial biologist and local First Nations and will release the bear in an undisclosed location within shíshálh Nation territory after receiving the nation's blessing, Miller said.
“We're gonna be taking this bear to an environment where it can live a natural life,” Miller said. “It's not a bad time of year to relocate a bear, because you're gonna get salmon runs returning, and then it'll have enough time to reestablish kind of a little bit of a territory and a denning ground before the winter months.”
Miller emphasized the importance of public cooperation and the expertise of qualified professionals in managing wildlife for both safety and conservation.
He said the efforts of RCMP, residents phoning in and the school district providing updates made the day a lot easier.
“This is just a perfect example of why people need to phone qualified professionals to deal with wildlife issues,” he said.
How big was the bear?
Based on the grizzly’s teeth, Miller estimates the male bear to be three years old.
Calling it “quite a specimen,” he said it weighs around 260 lbs now and expects it to get much larger.
“I can tell by the size of its head that it genetically, probably, will get at least to the 500-pound mark, 700-pound mark even.”
Regardless of the shape, size or species, residents are advised to report all bear sightings to the BCCOS RAPP line: 1-877-952-7277 or online at https://forms.gov.bc.ca/environment/rapp/.
Coastland Marine shared a video on Facebook of the bear being relocated:
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Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
