Conservation officers field thousands of wildlife calls every year in British Columbia – and some of them are, to put it bluntly, less urgent than others.
There were upwards of 30,000 calls to the province's human-wildlife conflict hotline in 2022, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, including a few that left staff scratching their heads.
On Wednesday, the BCCOS released 10 of the strangest reports received last year, including one regarding a peacock that had strolled into a family's home through an open door.
The caller advised that the peacock was not threatening their safety, and that their grandfather was "not encouraging it to leave, due to weather" – but said they would call back if the situation escalated.
Others reported a lack of tadpoles in a pond, a lone ram that seemed in need of a mate, and a bear attack on an inanimate object.
Here's the full list of the 10 most "unique" reports received in 2022:
- "Mysterious fly-by": Someone alerted conservation officers about large, unidentified "black and grey animals" that flew past their driveway.
- "Rustle in the bushes": Another caller reported rustling and purring coming from a bush, speculating that it might have been a cougar.
- "Snake shut-out": One person called about snakes in her garden, and asked for an appointment to have them removed.
- "Transient tadpoles": Another reported their pond, which collects water from five lots and drains into a fish-bearing stream, had no tadpoles this year, and wanted to know what happened.
- "Otter family": Someone told the hotline there was an otter family that was "attracting a lot of people."
- "Reclusive ram": In a similar call, someone reported the existence of a bighorn sheep that was all alone – and possibly in need of a mate.
- "Statue attack": The caller said they saw a bear attack a statue, noting with some concern that the statue looked like a person.
- "Dead shrew": Someone spotted a dead shrew and "insisted he needed to make a report" about the carcass.
- "Backyard badger": Another report regarded a badger that was making a den in someone's backyard. The caller was not concerned, but thought the BCCOS would like to know.
- "Peacock pop-in": The caller indicated a peacock that entered their home through an open door could stay for a while and keep warm, but would alert conservation officers should any issues arise.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service noted there were upwards of 5,000 calls related to deer alone in 2022, including one from a woman who noticed a couple deer laying in a hole they had dug in her yard.
"Caller assumes the deer are keeping warm but is wondering if she should help them," the BCCOS wrote.
