B.C. seeing increased amount of human – bear conflicts

VICTORIA — Negative interactions between bears and people are on the rise, with the B-C Conservation Officer Service saying calls increased 100 per cent this past summer.

While officials say it’s a good sign that bear populations are doing well, interactions with people are resulting in many of the animals being killed.

Len Butler, the service’s deputy chief, says that’s a step taken when bears become conditioned to human food to the point they pose too high a risk.

Aaron Hofman with the non-profit group Fur-Bearers says identifying communities where bears are being killed more often provides an opportunity to address the availability of garbage and reduce the number of deaths.