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Breaking News
Globe and Mail: When Matt Blaney stands up at the front of the tour bus parked on an old logging road, he has a can of pepper spray in his hand, a relaxed smile on his face and the rapt attention of his guests.
Using a mix of natural charm and the special training he got from customer service experts at London Drugs, he makes sure people understand one simple rule. Do what he says and you can safely get astonishingly close to some of the biggest carnivores in North America.
Andrew Mitchell, Pique Newsmagazine: Whistler's most iconic black bear was killed by the conservation officer service on Friday after three weeks of aggressive behaviour that the officer Chris Doyle said left them little choice. Jeanie, a bear that has her own Facebook page and was featured in a book and documentary, was caught in a trap, tranquilized and then killed with a gunshot, while her cub was sent to a rescue service in Langley for rehabilitation and will eventually be released back into the wild. Bear's cub relocated to centre in Langley.
Eric Mackenzie, Whistler Question: Jeanie, Whistler's most well-known black bear, was euthanized Thursday (Oct. 20) after conservation officers determined her long and increasing history of conflict made her a threat to public safety. Cub sent to orphaned wildlife rehab centre.
Cara Illerbrun, Letter to the Editor, Whistler Question : Dear Editor,
RE: "No punchline to 'A bear walks into a pizza shop...,'" Question Editorial, Oct. 6.
I am the Bear Aware community coordinator for Whistler. I would like to commend Ms. Miller on her excellent editorial from Oct. 6.
The opinion piece highlights the severe consequences possible both to the bear and to the community as a result of the black bear wandering into Fat Tony's Pizza. Her editorial does a great job of describing the extreme level of habituation exhibited by the bear, and the lack of public education surrounding the incident.
Andrew Mitchell, Pique Newsmagazine : Meanwhile bear calls continue to come in. On Oct.16 a black bear had to be euthanized after it was wounded by a vehicle near Function Junction.
The bear was found by a walker, and it made no attempt to stand up. The conservation officer service was called to dispatch the bear.
The Durango Herald: In July, a grizzly defending her cubs attacked a couple hiking in Yellowstone National Park, it killing the man.
Again in Yellowstone, a man hiking alone was fatally mauled by a grizzly bear in August. In September, a Montana black bear hunter was attacked by a grizzly bear he mistakenly wounded. The guy's hunting partner tried to save him but ended up shooting and killing him.
Jennifer McFee, Coquitlam Now: Three bear cubs are learning to live without their mother, who was shot by conservation officers after the foursome was found foraging for food in a Coquitlam schoolyard last week. The nine-month-old cubs are now adjusting to their temporary home at Critter Care Wildlife Society in Langley.
Kim I. Hartman, Digital Journal : Ketchikan - Shoppers in a grocery store in Alaska were in for a shock when a young black bear cub walked through the automatic doors into the store, then climbed onto the produce display looking for a way to escape the excitement.
Kim I. Hartman, Digital Journal: Shoppers in a grocery store in Alaska were in for a shock when a young black bear cub walked through the automatic doors into the store, then climbed onto the produce display looking for a way to escape the excitement.
Mark Heinz, Cody Enterprise : Grizzly numbers in the heart of the Yellowstone area habitat appeared to have dipped, but some experts' opinions vary regarding how much, and why.
There are an estimated 593 grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, compared to 602 last year, according to a new study.
The number of bears killed, for various reasons, over the past few years "has taken a powerful bite out of the population," said ecologist Chuck Neal of Cody, who is retired from decades of field work with the BLM, Forest Service, and contract work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Jeff DeLong, USA TODAY: Brian Hubkey of Carson Valley, Nev., sees the chance to stalk a bear with a bow and arrow as an opportunity for outdoor adventure he can share with his family.
"If we're successful, great. If not, so be it," Hubkey says of Nevada's first legal hunt for black bears.
He and others are on the hunt for bears in Nevada's mountains, now that the state has become the latest to establish a bear hunting season.
The Associated Press, Billings Gazette: GREAT FALLS - An increasing grizzly bear population is expanding east from the Rocky Mountain Front in western Montana as individual bears discover that the plains contain abundant food, a grizzly bear expert says.
Mike Madel of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said some bears appear to have discovered that food sources are better on the plains than in the mountains. He noted that in the past young bears trying to make it on their own were showing up on the plains, but now there are adult females that are passing their knowledge to their cubs.
Thandi Fletcher, Postmedia News: Only one of three newborn polar bears was still clinging to life in the intensive-care unit of the Toronto Zoo on Thursday, after his two siblings succumbed to injuries inflicted by their mother.
Zoo workers are struggling to keep the tiny cub alive, born prematurely on Tuesday and then rejected by its mother, 10-year-old Aurora.
CBC News : Yukon conservation officers killed two bears this week that were regularly visiting Whitehorse neighbourhoods looking for food.
One was a black bear, the other, a grizzly.
The black bear had been roaming into backyards and even poked its nose against someone's window looking for food.
Hamish MacLean, Canmore Leader: A former Canmore author came to town to shed light on what he sees as the way forward for grizzly bears in the area.
Jeff Gailus author of the Grizzly Manifesto and, a forthcoming title, Little Black Lies, spoke to the role that he sees for Parks Canada, given what he characterized as an ineffective effort by the province of Alberta to protect its bears.
Jennifer Miller, Whistler Question: The B.C. Conservation Officer service is urging caution when traveling on foot and bike in Whistler after a cougar sighting on the Valley Trail last Thursday night (Oct. 6). Large male bear killed after entering house, attacking dog. New highway signs installed.
Rebecca Edwards, For The Calgary Herald: Vacation homeowners in Elkford, B.C., have been asked to search for white bear fur that may have caught on their decks or trees, to help scientists discover the genetic secrets of three white bear cubs seen in the town this fall.
Residents are also being urged to clear their garbage and fruit trees to stop the rare bears becoming hooked on human food sources.
CBC News : A new online map is giving people in Kamloops a way to keep tabs on bears making their way into the city.
The map shows all bear sightings reported to conservation officers over the past two weeks, as well as the food sources that lured the animals into the city.
The Associated Press, Billings Gazette: WILSON — Grand Teton National Park has closed portions of the road between Moose and Wilson because of the presence of feeding grizzly bears.
Bears are feeding on chokecherry bushes and other plants in the area. Intermittent closures have been in effect since last Friday because people have been parking their vehicles too close to the bears.
Pique newsmagazine: Reading the editorials and articles about Jeanie the bear and the circumstances leading up to her death paints a very disturbing picture (Pique Oct.27). How is it possible that all the restaurants mentioned, which have been in this town for years are incapable of managing their food waste? Let's start with the biggest corporate entity here, Whistler Blackcomb. Two of its restaurants were "broken into" by Jeanie. How do you break into the Roundhouse or the GLC? Buildings with rock and steel cladding, steel fire doors and wire-reinforced glass? You don't. If you leave a door open or have latches a bear can manipulate then the animal will "enter" a building.
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