Relocation not an option for grizzly that has divided public opinion on small island, say B.C. officials

On May 25, Mark Robert was out for a drive with his girlfriend and their two dogs when they saw something unusual in the distance.

"We just said holy sh--, that's a grizzly," the 51-year-old Texada Island resident recalled.

Home to about 1,000 people, the 300-square kilometre island 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. 

But this particular bear, which likely swam to the island, seems to be settling in, dividing public sentiment.

"Half the island wants it moved off or destroyed, the other half wants to save it," said Robert, taking note of the near-daily updates on the bear's location on local community Facebook groups.

Robert said he was at first hesitant to post publicly about seeing the bear but as a fire chief, he worried about the consequences if someone were to surprise it out on a trail.

"I have a pretty big commitment to the safety of my community," he said. "I would like to see it move somewhere by itself."

For now, that's also the hope of wildlife officials who say they have been closely monitoring the bear's behaviour — and are quite familiar with its history.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the province revealed the adult male grizzly, estimated to be five years old, has already been relocated after it was found wandering near schools and downtown areas of Gibsons and Sechelt, on the B.C. mainland last year.

Keeping people safe

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.

"We want to be very clear: there is no 'kill order' on this bear," reads the statement, which is attributed to the Minister of Environment and Parks Tamara Davidson and Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Randene Neill.

"However, it is also our responsibility to keep people safe and if further behaviour by the grizzly bear occurs that threatens public safety, Conservation Officers will respond to those situations."

The statement also says that because the bear has twice been relocated, doing so a third time would "not be in the interest of public safety."

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, store and farms on Texada.

According to conservation group WildSafeBC, the province is home to about 15,000 grizzlies, or approximately one quarter of the entire North American population. The bears are considered a species of "special concern" by the federal government.

The greatest threat they face, is intrusion from humans. People are urged to keep garbage and other attractants locked up or inaccessible in order to avoid habituation of bears.

The province says it is working with First Nations and the Grizzly Bear Foundation to monitor the Texada grizzly and "we are doing our very best to ensure grizzly bears continue to endure and thrive in our province."