An adult female grizzly bear was killed, and two yearling cubs were captured in Nelson, B.C., on Friday, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. Conservation officers also killed another grizzly that was associated with the same group of bears; this one had a leg injury, and the BCCOS said dispatching it was recommended by the B.C. Wildlife Vet. These two incidents came after conservation officers and the province’s wildlife branch received reports of grizzlies frequenting Nelson and the surrounding area. The BCCOS said the female grizzly showed signs of no longer fearing humans and exhibited food-conditioned behaviour. This behaviour included “repeatedly accessing residential properties and non-natural food sources such as fruit trees and barbecues, and regularly remaining in close proximity to people,” the BCCOS said. Conservation officers relocated the female grizzly and a previous set of her cubs in 2023, but her “extensive food-conditioning and increasing comfort in residential areas” eliminated a second relocation as a “viable management option” in the eyes of the B.C. Wildlife Vet, the BCCOS said. “We recognize this news will be upsetting for many people. The dispatching of any bear is an outcome that conservation officers, wildlife biologists, community partners, and residents work hard to prevent, and these decisions are never made lightly,” conservation officers said, in a statement. The BCCOS said the two yearling cubs have since been released for monitoring in a location that will not be disclosed.
