As hungry bears feast in B.C. towns, some people are taking a 'no snitching' stance

Prince George is seeing an extreme number of black bears — even for this time of year when they must fatten up for winter.

But with more sightings have come more complaints and, consequently, more bears killed by conservation officers. 

That's causing some residents to ask if they should call authorities at all, even though officials say it is important to report all aggressive or "conflict" bears.

The northern city saw a "marked increase" in bear reports this past month, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS). 

August saw 2,241 complaints about bears, leading to 36 bears being killed, the agency told CBC News.

By comparison, not a single bear was killed in Prince George in August 2022, BCCOS said.

In just the first week of September, there were 160 calls in the city and two bears killed.

One of those was in Corey Hardeman's neighbourhood in the north end.

"There's been a bear in our yard almost everyday," the painter and educator told CBC News. "There are bears right in the middle of town ... I've never seen anything like this."

Because one of Hardeman's neighbours had unpicked apples, there's been a steady stream of hungry bears. On Sept. 1, she said, a conservation officer tranquillized a black bear in a tree between their yards.

"The bear fell out of the tree, ran through my backyard into the neighbour's on the other side, blundering around," Hardeman recalled, "and then we heard the shot."

She said seeing a healthy, young bear killed was "pretty upsetting."

Experts say the best thing people can do to protect bears from being killed is not to attract them in the first place.

That means securing trash until garbage day, removing bird and pet food, harvesting all fruit and berries, and cleaning barbecues.