Stuart Hunter, The Province
Published: Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Campground owners are being urged to be more vigilant after a black bear had to be shot by a conservation officer as horrified tourists stood nearby.

Crystal McMillan of the Ministry of the Environment’s B.C. Conservation Corps was with conservation officer Ben York when he was called to Bella Pacifica Campsite near Tofino at about 6 p.m. Monday after reports of a bear tearing a tent apart.

“The bear had been in and out of the campsite for several hours,” McMillan said. “He was behind one tent and he was actually pawing at it. The conservation officer shot him in the bush behind the site in a bit of a green space.

“It’s nothing you want to do when there are a lot of people watching but there were a lot of tourists around who had gathered and they heard the shot and were very disturbed by it. Nobody likes to see a dead bear.”

McMillan said the problem bear and a couple of others have been visiting area campgrounds for the past four months and had become food-conditioned and habituated.

The bear was shot out of concerns for public safety and McMillan urged campground owners to educate people on how not to attract bears to ensure more bruins aren’t killed.

Bella Pacifica didn’t return calls but Josh Penny of the 600-member B.C. Lodging & Campgrounds Association said there are bear and wildlife warnings on the group’s website.

“We don’t require our members to carry brochures [on bear safety],” said Penny, whose association includes 300 private campground owners. “It’s not something we come across — it’s pretty rare.”

shunter@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Province 2006