Authorities confirmed that a bear destroyed in Squamish on Thursday had a history of accessing garbage and non-natural foods in residential neighbourhoods.
As conservationists often warn, a human-fed bear, is a dead bear.
A Squamish black bear was destroyed on Thursday due to its repeated access to attractants left available by humans.
The BC Conservation Officers Service (BCCOS) says that at about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the agency received a request for help from Squamish RCMP regarding a black bear in the Bailey Street area near downtown.
Responding conservation officers saw a bear accessing garbage and other unsecure attractants.
Conservation officers tranquilized and assessed the animal.
“The adult bear was confirmed to have an extensive conflict history, including frequenting a residential area over several weeks; repeatedly accessing non-natural foods; entering tents at a Loggers Lane encampment; and displaying aggressive behaviour towards people,” the BCCOS said in a statement.
The bear was euthanized due to public safety concerns and according to provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines.
“Too often, bears become food-conditioned because garbage, pet food, birdseed and other attractants are not properly secured. We all have a role to play to prevent human-wildlife conflicts,” the BCCOS said.
“Bears that learn to associate people with food are comfortable frequenting populated areas and enter tents, homes or structures, are not candidates for relocation or rehabilitation, due to the risk to public safety.”
The BCCOS thanked Squamish RCMP for their assistance.
For more on how to avoid attracting bears, go to WildSafeBC.com.