The Conservation Officer Service (COS) says an incident in Egmont is the first definitive proof they’ve had of grizzly bears visiting the area.
A property owner shot and killed a bear that was attacking pigs on Aug. 19, and when the carcass was recovered it was immediately clear the bear was a young, male grizzly.
Grizzlies are known to inhabit parts of Jervis Inlet not far from Egmont, and Sgt. Dean Miller of the COS believes this one probably swam down from that area. Grizzlies are also present in the upper reaches of Narrows and Salmon inlets.
A problem bear had been reported in the Egmont area in the days leading up to Aug. 19, and people were advised by WildSafe BC and the COS to eliminate attractants to discourage the bear from staying around.
Miller told Coast Reporter the COS took about 10 hours to respond to the call for the incident that led to the bear being shot, as they were dealing with other issues and because it wasn’t clear at the time that the bear in question was a grizzly.
He said if they’d suspected early on that the bear was a grizzly, the response would have been quite different.
“We would have pulled out every resource we had available,” Miller said.
But, he also said that even if they’d been able to capture and relocate the grizzly it might not have worked out, because it was showing obvious signs of food conditioning and habituation to humans.
According to Miller, up to this point it’s always been safe to assume calls about problem bears in the region involved black bears.
“We’re more inclined to believe in the possibility of a grizzly bear actually being on the Sunshine Coast now,” Miller said.
One person who reported the bear described it as being a blonde/brown colour, but Miller explained colour isn’t a characteristic that would suggest to the COS that a bear is a grizzly.
“You look at their body,” said Miller, who noted they’re usually much larger than a typical black bear.
“A grizzly bear will have longer, more lanky legs [than a black bear]. They’ll have a hump just over their front legs. Their noses are typically longer and their faces are rounder. A grizzly bear has quite long claws as well.”
Wildlife calls from the public go through the COS toll-free line, 1-877-952-7277, and Miller said people reporting a bear they think is a grizzly should let the operator know the details so they can be passed on to the officers in the field. WildSafe BC also has useful information on distinguishing between black and grizzly bears on its website: www.wildsafebc.com
Miller said because the bear in this case was shot by the property owner, and not conservation officers, the COS is investigating under the Wildlife Act. That investigation is still underway.
