The search for bear cubs concluded after a black bear attack in Whistler’s Kadenwood neighbourhood on April 28th, and the Conservation Officer Service (COS) confirmed this.
The incident occurred when a woman walking her leashed dog was knocked to the ground and bitten by a black bear. In response to the attack, conservation officers euthanized the bear. According to the COS, an examination of the deceased bear revealed a female (sow) showing signs of lactation, raising the possibility that she had cubs nearby.
Following the attack, COS officers remained on site for several hours. Despite their presence and initial reports from the public the following day, no cubs were observed in the area. A live trap and trail cameras were strategically placed in the vicinity to aid in the search.
Conservation officers continued actively searching the Kadenwood area for any sign of the cubs in the days following the attack. However, these efforts proved unsuccessful. After six days, the COS removed the traps on May 4. This decision was based on the extended period that had passed without any sign of the cubs, coupled with the presence of other bears in the area.
The Conservation Officer Service has concluded its search efforts for the potential bear cubs.
Dr Euan Kennedy says
News of this tragedy has reached New Zealand where I share the revulsion of Kiwis at this inhumane outcome of the COS euthansia policy. It seems from this distance that the officials responsible for the arbitrary killing of this female bear had no plan in place to manage unforeseen consequences, in this case the recovery of orphaned offspring. Solid food lures for unweaned cubs? No trained tracking dogs capable of locating the cubs or the birthing den to which they might have been drawn by their mother’s scent? No mobilising of bear conservation groups?
It’s rare for Canadians to shake our faith in human nature. But this tragedy has managed to do that in the most wrenching way. And it has damaged your reputation as custodians of your remarkable natural heritage.
I am a practising conservation biologist of 50 years’ experience. My discipline brings the biological and social sciences together in order to protect natural systems and biodiversity from damaging human behaviour. That invariably means addressing the human behaviour. This tragedy is a textbook example of failure to do that. The result was that a mother bear was treated inhumanely for doing exactly what the mother of any species would do – protecting her young.
The policy of euthanasia is pointless; it does not address the human origins of the problem (in fact, it condones them). Nor does it look for solutions to avoid repetition. Killing black bears forever will not solve the issue of harmful encounters with humans. The COS would serve bear conservation more effectively if it invested effort in modifying the behaviour of those people who live alongside the wilderness. Was the injured woman’s dog on a leash (or do Whistler dog-owners allow their dogs to run free?) Was she educated to avoid walking her dog near bear habitat?
I trust that the COS will be mature and compassionate enough to review this shameful incident. I do not expect to see the findings but I hope that the COS will share them with the Whistler community as the first step to avoiding further unjustifiable cruelty to your local wildlife.
Dr Euan Kennedy
Christchurch, NZ