Castlegar, Nelson among top three worst communities for killing black bears
By Lone Sheep Publishing
Nelson and Castlegar have the dubious distinction of ranking the second and third (respectively) deadliest communities for black bears in B.C.
The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals presented a report yesterday listing 2022’s eight deadliest communities in the province for black bears, Prince George being the community in first/worst place.
“Five hundred black bears were killed by the BC Conservation Officer Service in 2022, a drop of 81 (or 14 percent) from 2021,” the report said. “The data, obtained through a freedom of information request and compiled by wildlife protection charity The Fur-Bearers, includes information for nearly 400 communities across the province, ranked by the number of black bears killed.”
According to government statistics for 2022, the deadliest communities for black bears in British Columbia are:
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Prince George: 32
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Nelson: 21
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Castlegar: 14
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Okanagan Falls: 12
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Revelstoke: 12
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West Kelowna: 12
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Nanaimo: 10
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Port Alberni: 10
Aaron Hofman, Director of Advocacy and Policy at The Fur-Bearers, said these statistics can be helpful in identifying and removing systemic issues such as abundant bear attractants,
“By identifying communities where bears are killed with greater frequency, questions about systemic issues can be asked, and the killing can end,” Hofman said.
The report can be viewed in its entirety at https://thefurbearers.com/blog/bcs-deadliest-communities-for-black-bears/?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=slider&utm_campaign=lww-blog&utm_id=lww-blog
