The BC Conservation Officer Service says it was forced to euthanize a black bear this week after it bit a woman in North Vancouver.
On Wednesday, the bear bit a woman as she was gardening in her yard in Deep Cove.
Conservation officers said the woman was not seriously hurt, but the bear had to be put down because it had become a danger to people.
Conservation group the Fur Bearers said the incident is an example of how human activity continues to put bears at risk.
It said the main reason for negative interactions with bears remains people who aren’t being careful enough with how they store garbage and other attractants.
“What we’re seeing happen is black bears come into communities, often just passing through, finding easy-to-access, human-created food sources, and then staying,” Fur Bearers spokesperson Michael Howie said.
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“That’s where we see the issues, because of varying levels of discomfort with black bears around, and just that increased proximity to people, risk-taking behaviour and so on.”
According to the group, conservation officers killed 603 black bears in B.C. in 2023.
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