Bear Killed in Self-Defense After Attack on Man Walking Dog on Metro Vancouver Trail
Incident: A bear killed in self-defense incident occurred this week when a man was attacked by a black bear while walking his dog on a trail in Metro Vancouver. An attack happened on Wednesday at 2:30 pm near 240th Street in Maple Ridge, B.C., the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service, COS, in a Facebook post stated.
The bear became aggressive and engaged the dog when the man was walking it off-leash. Once the animal’s owner regained control of the pet, the man turned to leave the area. At this point, the bear re-engaged and became more aggressive. The man fought back against the bear, with a group of anglers nearby helping to defend him. In the struggle, the bear was killed in self-defense.
While the COS did not provide details on how the bear was killed, they confirmed the man sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at the scene. Conservation officers have also started a necropsy on the bear to determine if any factors contributed to the bear’s unusual behavior in the attack.
After an investigation, conservation officers determined that the bear was killed in self-defense, and there will be no enforcement action related to the incident. This tragic encounter highlights the ongoing risks of bear interactions in British Columbia, home to some of the highest bear populations in the world, with an estimated 150,000 black bears residing in the province.
However, even with winter upon most parts of the province, conservation officers caution the public to be observant while out and about because bears remain active in many areas amid generally milder temperatures and attractants such as garbage. According to the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, black bears are responsible for up to 25,000 calls to provincial conservation officers annually. When bears learn to associate humans with food, they become more aggressive, so management of attractants and prevention of surprise encounters are important.
The foundation suggests that to avoid bear encounters, a person should leash their pets, talk or sing on the route to alert the bears of your presence, carry bear spray, and secure garbage and food. These precautions will help in minimizing conflict with black bears in the wild.
The incident of the recent bear killed in self-defense is a case that reminds people of the need to be aware and take precautions when outside in bear habitats, as human-bear interactions are on the rise in British Columbia.
