Nelson\u2019s WildSafeBC coordinator steps down after grizzly bear deaths<\/p>\n
Published 8:37 pm Wednesday, September 2, 2026<\/p>\n
Nelson\u2019s WildSafeBC Community Coordinator, Lisa Thomson, has officially stepped down from her position after a month of emotional stress and online attacks. <\/p>\n
After a grizzly sow and one of her yearlings were euthanized by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) in Nelson on Aug. 12<\/a> and Aug. 14, Thomson felt her time working with WidSafeBC had come to an end after five seasons.<\/p>\n Much like everyone else in the Nelson community, Thomson also found out about the conservation officer\u2019s decision to put down the bears through social media. <\/p>\n \u201cI found out like everyone else online. I was pretty shocked to say the least and disappointed and sad,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Thomson says the way she left WildSafeBC was not how she envisioned. <\/p>\n \u201cCan we go back to COVID-19 times when everyone was kind and polite? I feel like a lot of people have used up their kindness and compassion and reverted back to being nasty online,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Many conversations online stated how WildSafeBC was working alongside BCCOS and knew the bears would be euthanized. <\/p>\n As a non-profit organization, WildSafeBC does receive some funding from the provincial government. However, its purpose is to prevent conflict and provide solutions with wildlife and humans, according to their website. <\/p>\n Thomson had a close bond with the grizzly sow after she helped relocate her and her first set of juvenile cubs to Nelson back in 2023. <\/p>\n Many residents in the community were aware of the grizzly bear, especially when she gave birth to three more yearlings last year, who were often seen with her. <\/p>\n \u201cFrom the community and the reports that I have seen, there were no displays of aggression. Not even of them getting into garbage, just hanging around backyards and moving into more populated areas,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The yearling euthanized on Aug. 12 was walking around with a deformed leg, but Thomson suspects this injury probably occurred as a baby while still living in its den. <\/p>\n \u201cThe narrative went from the conservation officers being aware of this injured cub, but that there are no plans to intervene. Then, the next thing we know the cub has been euthanized from undue suffering, but we could see the yearling was thriving and doing really well along with the rest of its siblings,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s lethal removal of a bear, not euthanasia.\u201d <\/p>\n Back in July, the BCCOS said in a statement<\/a> that the yearling\u2019s injury was old and already reported last year. <\/p>\n