For the first time since 2020, no black bears were killed by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service in Nanaimo the past year, as numbers being killed across the province remain in decline.<\/p>\n
Year-over-year, the number of black bears being killed has decreased, dropping from 303 in 2024 and 603 in 2023. In 2025, conservation officers killed 178 black bears for public safety reasons in B.C. and euthanized another 33, for a total of 211. Topping the list was Ucluelet, with 13 killed for safety reasons, and Campbell River, where officers killed seven.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t only the lowest overall number since B.C. Conservation Officer Service\u2019s predator statistics were first published online in 2011, it is also the fewest annual black bear calls reported to the provincial reporting line since 2011, with 13,672 calls.<\/p>\n
In a Facebook statement, Cam Schley, BCCOS chief conservation officer, said while it\u2019s encouraging to see the number continue downward, \u201cwe know that many conflicts are preventable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers continue to work collaboratively with, and engage communities, organizations and businesses on public education and outreach to help keep people safe, and wildlife wild,\u201d Schley said. \u201cWe also hope this shift in reporting outcomes is more transparent for the public, whose trust is critical to serve our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesley Fox, The Fur-Bearers\u2019 executive director, a non-profit which follows the numbers, told the News Bulletin that when the data is adjusted for attendance, the likelihood that a black bear call results in a killed bear has remained largely unchanged, with a kill rate of about one in five attended calls.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the total number of bears [killed] is down across the province, we do still have a concern with the rate at which bears are killed,\u201d Fox said. \u201cIt\u2019s an important indicator, because we\u2019ve really been pushing the conservation officer service to show more restraint, be more discerning as it relates to bear kills, especially in situations where the bear is being more of a pest or a nuisance than an actual public safety issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Black bears are killed if they become listed as \u2018Category <\/a>1<\/a>\u2019 and an investigation determines they are either a serious threat to public safety, significant property damage has occurred, or the bear is injured or suffering from distressed health. According to BCCOS guidelines, animals listed in Category 1 include those that have attacked, injured or killed humans, domestic pets or livestock, and may also include bears that have entered temporary or permanent dwellings.<\/p>\n Unlike with Category 1, with \u2018Category 2\u2019 conservation officers may provide technical advice or education, and issue non-lethal responses, so long as the bear is deemed healthy and has a history of low conflict with humans or property.<\/p>\n