British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service (COS) says a grizzly bear on a small island off the Sunshine Coast has been shot and killed.
The bear will undergo a necropsy, the COS said in a Facebook post.
Earlier in the day, the service said it was investigating an RCMP report that the bear was shot and possibly wounded by a member of the public in the Van Anda neighbourhood of Texada Island, near Powell River.
The grizzly was first spotted on Texada on May 25. The bear has sparked debate among the residents of the 300-square-kilometre island, which is home to just under 1,200 people.
Some residents wanted the bear moved or killed, while others wanted it to be left alone.
Texada doesn’t usually play host to large predators as it sits between the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island in British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia. Wildlife management experts say it’s likely the bear swam to the island from Powell River.
Relocation options
Three coastal First Nations had worked together to come up with a plan to move the grizzly bear, but the province had not signed off.
The Conservation Officer Service previously told CBC News in a written statement that the adult male grizzly, estimated to be five years old, was not a good candidate for relocation because it had already been moved twice.
The service said the bear had already been relocated after it was found wandering near schools and downtown areas of Gibsons and Sechelt, on the B.C. mainland last year.
What should happen to the grizzly bear on Texada Island? It’s been causing problems in the community of about 1,000 people and they are divided on whether it should be killed, removed, or left alone. Three coastal First Nations have an idea.
After being moved to Vancouver Bay — partway up Jervis Inlet, about 50 kilometres north of Sechelt — the grizzly returned to the Sunshine Coast. It was then relocated even further north to the far end of Jervis Inlet.
The statement also included a list of problematic behaviour the bear has engaged in this year, including:
- Stalking two residents while walking on a trail in Powell River on May 22. The residents escaped into the water while the bear paced on shore for half an hour, tearing up one of their jackets.
- Stalking a resident walking with her horse and dog for half a kilometre on Texada Island on May 28.
- Reportedly chasing livestock on June 10 and 11 on Texada Island.
The statement also said there have been multiple sightings of the bear near a school, a store and farms on Texada.
