The Bears of Christina Lake

By now most people are aware of the bears of Christina Lake story. This article by Jack Keating was published in the Province today with regard to these bears. As a Grizzly with two cubs has been wandering the South Hill in the last few days this incident might give us pause to think about these creatures whose home we share.


From the Province by Jack Keating

Seventeen tame black bears that police and conservation officers found on a rural property near Christina Lake during a July 30 marijuana bust will be saved under an “unusual” proposal, Environment Minister Barry Penner said Tuesday.

Penner and his ministry staff and biologists became actively involved in the case when an RCMP officer told the media that “maybe the Ministry of the Environment would put the bears down,” which caused a furor among animal lovers.

An online petition and Facebook site was established to save the bears.

“When you talk to a conservation officer, the last thing they like to do is to destroy a bear, particularly when it’s a situation that has arisen because of human conduct,” said Penner.

For that reason, he says, B.C.’s conservation officer service and Ministry of Environment biologists have consulted and agreed to allow the man and woman living on the property to continue feeding the bears under “strict” conditions until it’s time for them to hibernate in about six weeks.

The hope is to “gradually wean them off of human-offered food,” said Penner, using “the natural occurring hibernation cycle to break their connection to that location.”

Penner and Rick Hildebrand, the regional superintendent of B.C.’s conservation officer service, confirmed they have the co-operation of the man and woman who live on the property.

Police have not named the couple but in a video statement posted on the website VIMEO, a man explains his relationship with the bears, saying he’s been feeding them for a decade and they have never bothered anyone.

“Hi, my name is Allen. I’m the guy at Christina Lake who’s been feeding the bears,” he says in the video as a friendly raccoon plays at his side.

He said he welcomes the ministry’s permission to continue feeding the bears until they hibernate.

“They’ve assured me we will not be killing any bears this fall,” he says of conservation officers, as five bears are seen sitting around waiting to be fed. “We’re going to take these bears right on through to, hibernation, and that will give us an entire winter to come up with better solutions.”

The RCMP allege they found about 1,100 marijuana plants growing outdoors during their raid, with bears freely roaming the remote property.

Penner also said that the RCMP’s suggestion that the bears were being used to protect the marijuana was unfounded.

“Our conservation officers have seen nothing to corroborate that,” he said. “The bears were not aggressive or defensive when our staff were on site.”

The couple are facing marijuana cultivation charges and Penner said they have been told they may face charges under the Wildlife Act for the feeding of the bears “without our permission” earlier.

Penner is hopeful the solution will work “in a way that won’t result — we hope — in the death of the animals. There’s no guarantee it will work, but I think it’s worth trying . . . If I had my preference [the bears] will go off and never come into conflict with people again.”

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/technology/Christina+Lake+bears+weaned+from+human+offered+food/3466505/story.html#ixzz0yIGvi0Oq