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Animals killed on N. Shore — no time to transport them

TEN BEARS were shot and
killed on the North Shore
within a week, because there
wasn’t time to relocate
them, said a Ministry of
Environment spokesman.

Hy AIM PEMBERTON

Netan Reporter

“We don't tke ta da to" said
senior conservation officer Bruce
tombe Monday.

“We would rather trap them
and tranquilize them. butit takes a
borer part ot day todo that. But
this segson with se aminy around
we cam’ t take a chanee.

“Right now Eve got two officers
on the North Shore on five bear
complaint galls. Hf we happen to
vet one bear and start carting it 50
to 100 miles away that would take
one of the officers all day and
we'd still have four bears running
around.”*

Of the five calls, officers were
uble to locate one bear Monday in
the Capilano-Forest Hills area.
That bear was destroyed.

Lemke said bears are shot if they
pose a threat to human life or
property, which he said was the
case in the most recent bear kill-
ings.

He said no bears in North and
West Vancouver were relocated
hast week.

Regional conservation — officer
Bi, Havledine said: his office has
received YOO bear complaint calts
Since April f to August 3} in the
Power Mainland.

He said conservation officers at
rended 335 calls and “handled”? 81
bears. Of the SP bears approx
imately 70 had to be destroyed, be
said.

Hasledine said last year there
were 378 bear complaint calls, and
only 40 bears were cither disposed
of or relocated, making it the
lowest year for bear complaints in
the region for the past 10 years.

Hazledine said while May to Ju-
ly owas relatively quiet, North
Shore conservation officers have
been “quite busy’ here in August
and September.

“ies an absolute turnaround
from last year,” said’ Hazledine.

“AdL we can do is speculate on
the reason why,

“We do know that last year we
had optimum weather conditions
for providing berry crops in the
woods and all the berry crops were

CONSERVATION OFFICERS Steve Wasylik (left) and Ralph Escott (right) load a dead, 125 Ib., 1 1/2-year-old male bear into their truck, The
bear was shot Friday afternoon in the 6200 block St Georges Horseshoe Bay area. The bear had been spotted in the area for several days prior lo
his capture. The regional conservation office received 909 bear complaint calls between April 1 and Aug. 31. Seventy of the 81 bears handied by

officers were killed.

sery lush. But this year, according
to travelers in the hills. the berry
crops have been very poor.”

Havledine said that the majority
of bears relocated are cubs, who
are Gaken to game farms.

“Tranquilizers are not always
the answer,” he said.

“Black bears don’t go down
immediately and [im net going to
take a wall of mv staff and public
to corner a bach bear untit the

drug takeseffect. fs too dangerous.

“In the past there have been in-
stances where a bear has been hit
with a dart, but it has run inte the
woods and wasn't found. Then
you have a case of a bear in a
drugged state in the wild.

“Usually we use them ata time
when the bear is already in a very
captured state — ina trap or if the
animal is up a tree at the time.”

Lemke said the conservanon of-

ficer from Powell River was
brought in’) Thursday to help the
North Shore's one conservation
officer attend bear complaint calls.

He said staff can’t be increased
during the peak bear season
because of the extensive Gaining
which would be involved.

“We cane pluck people out of
the air, and it’s not likely welll
train people tor three or four mon-
(hs of the sear.” he said.

A woman, who asked not to be
named. said her family regretted
making a bear complaint call Fri-
day in the Glen Eagles area.

“Pin very disappointed to say
they shot the bear. We thought it
would be tranquiized. We all felt
it was terrible.”

She said the bear. which was
about one year of age, had been
seen im an empty Jot aeross the
street, picking berrigs.

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