Conservationists euthanize sow and 2 cubs in West Kelowna, BC

BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) euthanized a sow and her two cubs in West Kelowna, B.C., on Wednesday after the animals became too conditioned to be around people.

COS said it has received multiple reports of the bears hanging out in a residential area over several weeks, including daytime sightings near schools and bus stops.

Residents of West Kelowna Estates said the bears were harmless.

“These bears have not shown any aggression. Every online message mentioned how nice it is to have them there, they haven’t caused any problems,” said Chad Drayton.

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This incident has residents calling for better bear awareness policies in the Okanagan.

Twelve communities in BC have achieved Bear Smart status, a provincial program that helps prevent bear-human conflict. There are no Okanagan communities on the list.

“West Kelowna allows all three bins to be on the outside of homes for any reason. We need to understand that people can do that, but bears can detect trash from a bin, whether it is near the house or on the sidewalk state,” says West Kelowna. resident, Carmen Harris.

According to the BC Conservation Service, when bears gain access to human food and waste, they become dependent on food and lose their fear of humans.

This year, 460 black bears have been destroyed by conservationists, more than 100 more than in 2023.

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