`Apex predators’: Pemberton. B.C., residents calling for better grizzly management
Global News
Locals say the province should do more to help people affected by grizzly co-existence and find ways to remove stumbling blocks if it wants to see more bears on the landscape.
Bear experts and concerned Pemberton locals are calling for the creation of a designated grizzly bear management specialist position in the Sea to Sky corridor.
The call comes as families in Pemberton Meadows say they are living in fear of a nearby grizzly and her cubs after children in the area have reportedly come face to face with the bear while playing outside.
At a Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) board meeting on Nov. 22, the board considered a small batch of letters addressed to provincial Environment Minister George Heyman, eventually deciding to refer the concerns to staff and liaise with the RCMP about public safety issues and future steps.
In the letters, two Pemberton residents noted an “evolving societal view” towards grizzly bears in B.C. has led to positive co-existence efforts and applauded the work non-governmental organizations have done to educate the public and help locals.
But residents of Whistler, Pemberton, Birken and D’Arcy have had their daily lives altered by the presence of grizzly bears over the past three years, they continued.
“While Sea to Sky residents are generally (but not unanimously) in favour of grizzly bear recovery, we must point out that co-existence is costly, nerve-wracking and potentially dangerous,” the letters read. “We should not be expected to shoulder the full burdens of co-existence, which include crop losses, livestock degradations and the potential threat to our family’s safety.”
The locals insisted that if the province wants to see grizzly bears on the landscape, it should do more to help people affected by co-existence stumbling blocks.
Area C director Russell Mack said the province needs to take action during the bears’ hibernation period. He pointed out a grizzly bear was frequenting his backyard at the time of the meeting.
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