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11 bears were killed by conservation officers in Tri-Cities last year

By jeremyshepherd

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Wildlife

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June 19, 2022

Conservation officers killed 11 black bears in the Tri-Cities in 2021, according to records released through a recent freedom of information request.

That number is the lowest since 2015, when officers killed five bears.

Discussing the issue earlier this year, Tri-Cities Bear Aware Community Group member Judy Taylor-Atkinson emphasized the importance of reporting wildlife sightings. Those reports can lead to increased scrutiny from bylaw departments and the improved management of attractants like garbage and fruit trees.

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When the system works, it leads to better outcomes for both humans and bears, Taylor-Atkinson said during an interview with the Dispatch earlier this spring.

“We’re beginning to see that the data is proving that the feedback loop works and that we are recording less bear-human interactions,” Taylor-Atkinson explained.

Bears killed in the Tri-Cities by year

2021: 11
2020: 15
2019: 30
2018: 18
2017: 13
2016: 20
2015: 5

Across the province, conservation officers killed 595 bears in 2021. Since 2015, officers have killed
more than 500 bears each year except for 2018, when 440 bears were killed.

Bears killed in B.C. by year

2021: 595
2020: 585
2019: 672
2018: 440
2017: 556
2016: 526
2015: 556

Conservation officers killed 77 juvenile bears in 2021, including two in the Tri-Cities.

Sightings of bears in residential areas can be reported through this online form.

Aggressive or threatening bears can be reported by calling 1 877 952-7277.

Author

A chiropractor and a folk singer, after having one great kid, decided to push their luck and have one more, a boy they named Jeremy Shepherd.

Shepherd grew up around Blue Mountain Park in Coquitlam, following a basketball around and trying his best to get to the NBA (it didn’t work out, at least not yet).

With no career plans after graduating Porter Elementary school, Jeremy Shepherd pursued higher education at Como Lake Middle School and eventually, Centennial High School.

Approximately 1,000 movies and several beers later in life, Shepherd made a change.

Having done nothing worth writing, he decided to see if he could write something worth reading.

Since graduating journalism school at Langara College, Shepherd has been a reporter, editor and, reluctantly, a content provider for community newspapers around Metro Vancouver for more than 10 years.

He worked with dogged reporters, eloquently indignant curmudgeons and creative photographers, all of whom shared a little of what they knew.

Now, as he goes about the business of raising two fascinating humans alongside a wonderful partner, Shepherd is delighted to report news and tell stories in the Tri-Cities.

He runs, reads, and is intrigued by art, science, smart cities and new ideas. He is pleased to meet you.