Black bear killed after biting woman in North Vancouver

A black bear has been killed by B.C. conservation officers after it bit a woman in North Vancouver earlier this week. 

The woman was gardening at home in the Deep Cove neighbourhood at about 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday when a large male black bear bit her, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS). 

The woman wasn't seriously injured, BCCOS says.

However, the service says the bear was killed to ensure public safety. 

Christine Miller, co-executive director of the North Shore Black Bear Society, told CBC News that bear sightings are very common in the area. 

But she added that it's "extremely rare" to have this kind of negative interaction.

"Like humans, a bear can occasionally behave in a dangerous and inappropriate way, and in this case this beautiful bear had to be killed because of the risk to public safety," Miller said in a statement.  

The District of North Vancouver council called for more oversight of the BCCOS earlier this year after conservation officers killed 603 black bears — a decade-high number — in 2023. 

The incident also came just over a week after the district announced that it has become one of 13 B.C. communities to earn Bear Smart status.

The Bear Smart program was established by the province more than 20 years ago in an effort to reduce conflict between humans and bears, and in turn decrease the number of bears killed each year.  

A July 8 press release from the district says its strategy focuses on managing waste to prevent bears from depending on it as a food source. 

"The District is surrounded by mountains, forests and rivers that are the natural habitat for a significant bear population," Mayor Mike Little said in the press release. 

"It is our collective responsibility to protect them by managing the food sources that attract them to neighbourhoods. Together, we can help to keep the bear population wild and safe."