Bear and 2 cubs euthanized after repeat sightings in Nanaimo: BCCOS

A mother bear and her two cubs have been spotted living in a hollowed-out tree and playing among its high branches on Vancouver Island: Jan. 17, 2020 (CTV News)

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) says an adult black bear and two cubs were euthanized after they were encountered several times in the Nanaimo area.

On Saturday, Nanaimo RCMP warned residents to keep their pets inside as police and conservation officers searched the Nanaimo Regional Genera Hospital area for a mother bear and her two cubs.

The warning came after two other reported sightings of an adult black bear with two cubs were made in the city over the past month.

On Saturday, police said that the bear and cubs had been tranquilized and that they would be relocated elsewhere.

On Monday, however, the BCCOS said the trio had been euthanized because they'd become habituated to eating garbage.

'FOOD CONDITIONED'

Conservation officer Sgt. Stuart Bates told CTV News that the service had a long history with the trio, and that they were looked over by a wildlife veterinarian before they were put down.

The vet found that each of the bears had paper towels and tinfoil inside of their digestive tracts before they were euthanized, according to Bates.

In B.C., problem black bears are generally euthanized and not relocated.

In 2021, more than 500 black bears were euthanized while just 19 were "translocated" – though it's unclear if that term includes all bears that are moved, or only bears that are moved at least one region over.

In 2021, 77 black bear cubs were put down, according to an animal rights organization that calls the practice of euthanizing cubs potentially unnecessary.

Earlier this month, the BCCOS urged Nanaimo residents to keep their garbage cans inside or locked up tight due to a rise in bear encounters in the community.

"I can’t stress it enough, if you don’t secure your garbage, you’re going to get a bear killed," Bates told CTV News on May 3.

"Once bears get addicted to garbage, they become what we call 'food conditioned' and while they are doing that, they are in the presence of people," he said. "They lose their fear of people and there’s only one outcome for a bear that reaches that level."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday.