British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service (COS) says it recorded a roughly 50 per cent drop in the number of black bears it killed in 2024 compared to the year prior.
The service says it’s the fewest bears it’s had to kill in a year since 2011, when records first started being published online.
According to numbers collected by the COS, a total of 303 black bears were killed last year, a drop from 603 in 2023. Between 500 and 600 are generally killed most years, with the highest number recorded being 632 in 2019.
The service also says it saw a decrease in the number of calls about black bears, down by about 10,000 from the year before.
Late last year, the provincial government formed a panel to review how human-bear conflicts are handled in B.C., with recommendations due this spring.
Prince George was one of many cities that recorded a significant decline in bear sightings in 2024, with just eight being killed, according to the COS.
That followed a record number of sightings in the city in 2023, when the service declared “bearmaggedon” and RCMP pleaded with the public not to call 911 over the sightings.
Bears are out in full force in Prince George in northern B.C., eating berries, exploring backyard swing sets and being disappointed by empty garbage cans.
Theories behind the spike in sightings ranged from drought and wildfires pushing bears into the city to seek food to new developments reducing the surrounding habitat.
In the end, 76 bears were killed in the city that year and both citizens and advocacy groups like the Fur-Bearers called for change, pointing out that Prince George topped the list for number of bears killed “year after year.”
In 2024, Williams Lake was the community with the most bears killed by conservation officers, at 13.
Despite the significant decrease in deaths from last year, COS said there is still work to be done in order to reduce the number further and the bulk of that is around securing garbage and reducing attractants that lure the animals into urban spaces.
In a release, the Fur-Bearers welcomed the reduction in bear deaths.
“We’re pleased to see the B.C. COS is working with communities to reduce service calls and the need for interventions, and congratulate them on a positive step forward,” said the organization’s executive director Lesley Fox.
“There is still work to be done, from ensuring that non-lethal methods to reduce negative encounters are prioritized, that repeat offender municipalities, businesses and residents are met with fines and enforcement tools, and that appropriate, independent oversight is implemented.”
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