A new report shows the number of black bears killed on Vancouver Island by the B.C. Conservation Office Service went up in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Earlier this week, the BCCOS released information marking 2025 as the lowest number of black bears killed by its officers in the past decade.
The BCCOS says officers dispatched 178 black bears and euthanized 33 black bears last year, marking the lowest overall of black bears killed in over a decade.
Provincial large carnivore specialist Garth Mowat for the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship credits says a “phenomenal berry crop for several varieties across the B.C. Interior last year may have contributed to fewer bears coming into communities.”
READ MORE: Fewer black bears killed in B.C. last year than in last decade: conservation officers
Mowat adds, “abundant natural food sources often result in fewer conflicts between bears and people.”
However the numbers differed for Vancouver Island communities. Comparing 2024 to 2025, Vancouver Island saw an increase in the number of black bears killed, with the highest number in Ucluelet last year.
READ MORE: ‘Reverse Goldilocks’: Black bear enters Ucluelet home through dog door
Vancouver Island communities with the highest number of black bears killed in 2025
In 2025, 48 black bears were killed across 13 Vancouver Island and Gulf Island communities. Ucluelet saw the highest number with 13 dispatched, followed by seven in Campbell River and five in Port Hardy.
Vancouver Island Communities Highest numbers in 2025Compared to 2024Ucluelet13none listedCampbell River76Port Hardy51Bamfield 4none listedPort Alice32
Vancouver Island communities with the highest number of black bears killed in 2024
In 2024, 303 black bears were killed in B.C. with 39 on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands in 20 communities. Campbell River and Sooke saw the highest number with six each, followed by Port Renfrew with five. The remaining 17 Island communities ranged from one to two kills.
Find the list of B.C. government’s 2024 number of black bears dispatched in Vancouver Island communities below:
Vancouver Island CommunitiesHighest numbers in 2024Compared to 2025Campbell River67Sooke 61Port Renfrew51Nanaimo 22Port Alice23
Campbell River saw a higher number of bears killed in both years. In November 2025, BC Parks evacuated a campsite nearby after a black bear damaged an unoccupied tent.
READ MORE: Vancouver Island campground evacuated, temporarily closed due to black bear
Among the 48 killed in 2025, all were dispatched except one case in Lake Cowichan where the bear was euthanized by BCCOS.
The BCCOS says ‘Dispatch’ refers to a bear killed for public safety reasons, such as a human-wildlife conflict, while ‘euthanize’ refers to a bear killed for welfare reasons, such as an animal critically injured by a vehicle.
BCCOS says its officers are working to increase bear awareness and education across the province, particularly around securing attractants like garbage, pet food and birdseed, to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
For more tips, visit WildSafeBC
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