Conservation officers catch problem bear in Squamish

Conservation officers in Squamish, B.C., have caught a bear that matches the descriptionof one thatattacked two residents Thursday night.

"Unfortunately the bear was destroyed. There really wasn't another option associated with this bear," said Murray Smith, inspector with the Conservation Officer Service.

"The criteria around that decisionwasthe fact that thebearhad charged twopeoplethat had initiated no contact with the bear in any matter."

Smith said the bear charged the two residents on thebackstepsof their homein theGaribaldiEstates area south ofGaribaldiWay, leaving them with cuts and bruises after they quickly climbed inside.

"Luckily they didn't need any medical attention," he said.

Another factor, he said, included the fact that there are so many unsecured bear attractants like garbage, compost and unpicked fruit trees nearby.

Still, Smith called the attack "extremely unusual."

"It has to be related to the fact that the bear has encountered people multiple times and it's been what we call human-habituated."

6 bears killed this year

Smith is encouraging anyone who sees a bear in the community to call the Conservation Officer Service immediately. That way officers can scare the bearaway with loud noises and rubber bullets so it associates humans with trouble.

"We've only destroyed six bears in Squamish this year. The last thing we want to do is destroy wildlife," Smith said.

Vanessa Isnardy with Wild Safe B.C. echoed Smith's message about securing bear attractants, especially given the number of bears in the area.

"We really need to emphasize that there are still a lot of bears that are active right now,"Isnardysaid.

"We're still a month away before bears enters their dens and we don't have a lot of salmon in our rivers rightnow,so it's important that people continue to be vigilant."

In anticipation of Halloween,Isnardywarned that bear attractants include pumpkins left out on doorsteps especially if they're rotting.