BC Conservation Officer Service says 2024 saw the lowest number of bears killed in over a decade

The Conservation Officer Service (COS) of BC says 2024 saw the lowest number of bears killed in more than a decade.

On Monday, the COS said officers killed 303 black bears last year, a nearly 50% drop from the 603 killed in 2023.

That is the lowest number recorded since the COS predator statistics were first published online in 2011.

Although conservation officers destroyed 303 bears, "other entities” destroyed another 61 black bears.

However, the COS said there were 10,000 fewer black bear conflicts reported to the RAPP line when compared to 2023. The amount of RAPP reports totalled 17,345.

According to the COS, only 1.7% of those calls led to black bears being killed.

The COS said that abundant food sources like berry crops and more people securing attractants like garbage contributed to less bears coming into communities.

However, Cam Schley, chief conservation officer of the BC COS, said that human-wildlife conflicts are a complex issue that cannot be solved by the COS alone.

“While it is encouraging to see fewer black bear conflicts and black bears dispatched overall, the public continues to have a critical role to play to reduce human-wildlife conflicts,” Schley said.

“Attractants continue to drive a significant number of bear conflicts across BC. Residents, businesses and communities all need to do their part to secure attractants - such as garbage, pet food and birdseed - to help keep people safe and wildlife wild.”

The Okanagan saw the highest number of black bears killed with 68 reported.

That is followed by 60 in the Thompson Cariboo region, 49 in the Kootenays, 38 on the West Coast, 34 on the South Coast, 24 in the Omineca region, 18 in the Skeena and 12 in the Peace Liard.

The top 10 communities for black bear deaths include:

1. Williams Lake (13)

2. Kamloops (11)

3. Nelson (8)

4. Prince George (8)

5. Quesnel (8)

6. Fernie (7)

7. Penticton (7)

8. Pink Mountain (7)

9. Campbell River (6)

10. Sooke (6)

The COS said it will continue to work with communities, organizations and the public to increase awareness and education about managing attractants to avoid human-bear conflicts.