A pair of twin grizzly yearlings travelling through the Pemberton area were shot and killed Nov. 3, according to multiple residents Pique spoke with and confirmed in a release by the Lil’wat Nation.
The Lil’wat Nation posted about the grizzlies' death on Facebook, saying that “due to personal safety the bears have both been killed.”
"A ceremony and a tobacco offering were made, and the bears have been buried. We have a responsibility to all living species in our environment, we must work together to regain the balance," the statement read. "This message is to bring comfort and reduce the fear our community has been experiencing with the presence of the grizzlies in our community."
Pique reached out to Lil’wat Nation Chief Dean Nelson, but did not receive a response before press time.
It’s an end community members and a local NGO hoped would be avoided.
The yearlings were tracked by community members and the Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative (C2C). C2C holds permits to haze the grizzlies, which conditions them to change their behaviour. According to C2C, the technique works well for areas with secured attractants. However, as the yearlings moved into more populated areas in Mount Currie and Pemberton, attractants were more available.
While many residents raised concern that the yearlings were acting strangely, the team at C2C stressed they were responding naturally as orphans and to the environment around them during hyperphagia.
Hyperphagia is a single-mindedness to eat as much as possible before hibernation.
Overseeing the project was Dr. Lana Ciarniello, a leading expert in grizzly bear behaviour and conflict management. She said while she and the team don’t know what preceded the twins’ death, they were not aggressive.
“What we can comment on is these yearlings’ behaviours that we are aware of prior to the incident, and we have never once recorded these bears ever being aggressive towards humans. And I think that's a really important point to get across,” she said.
“We have the ability ourselves to dispatch these bears if we thought at any point that they were going to be aggressive. That was included in our permits. We would never compromise human safety and leave what we considered a dangerous bear on the landscape. These were little yearlings that were just trying to make a living in a very difficult and risky environment.”
Some fearful community members were vocal that they wanted the grizzlies relocated. It’s a technique that used to be popular, but grizzlies will return to their initial habitat if it’s close enough, and if it isn’t, they’re dropped into a landscape with other predators and no knowledge of where to find safety or food.
C2C is awaiting permits that would allow them to trap and move a grizzly within their territory as a last resort, which would give the team precious time to secure properties before the grizzlies return.
The team stressed it is more effective to remove attractants than trying to move the bears.
Lack of transparency around grizzlies’ death
Lil’wat Nation member Mekisiso (Maxine Shanoss) spoke to Pique about the grizzlies’ death, and said she wants transparency and an investigation into what happened.
The yearlings visited her property in late October, and she scared them away with loud music and yelling. She questioned why they would need to be shot, and reiterated that community members need to take more actions removing attractants.
“I don’t understand why anyone would have to shoot them. I don’t know what happened. If they were aggressive, wouldn’t one run away when the other was shot? I want an investigation,” Mekisiso said.
She has worked with C2C to put up a bear fence, and said the number of pumpkins laying around outside in her community was problematic. She attributes the lack of respectful co-existence to colonization.
“We’re colonized living in homes with no care for the bears," she said. "We’re a broken people shooting bears now.”
She said the notice published by the Lil’wat Nation lacks transparency, and in the absence of an investigation the bears' death becomes a case of murder mystery. And while the Nation posted about a ceremony taking place, it didn’t include everyone.
“I would have liked to see a ceremony that is not just for the elite band office workers. We are all cultural, spiritual people here," she said. "Those bears are meant to be our ancestors walking. To kill them goes completely against everything.”
Pemberton's bear concerns
The Village of Pemberton's Mayor Mike Richman told Pique they are discussing in their budget process allocating funding for a wildlife safety coordinator to educate the public on preventing conflict with bears.
"We're looking at sharing that with Area C. This is in addition to the conservation officers that work in the corridor. Whistler and Squamish have put some budget towards this last year," he said.
"Conservation Officers do some great work, but I feel they're stretched pretty thin. So this wildlife safety coordinator would be not so much responding to calls when there's a human-bear conflict, but more on the education and prevention side of things."
While the community is not a Bear Smart certified community, they have a attractant bylaw. However, budget constraints can make enforcement difficult, according to Richman.
When asked about the grizzly yearlings' death, he said that the decision was outside of the Village of Pemberton and would like to learn more about the decision.
"In terms of the two grizzlies. That certainly was a decision outside of the village of Pemberton, and like to understand a little bit more, but I certainly respect the decision making, knowledge and wisdom of Lil'wat Nation."
How to report bear conflicts
Pique reached out to the COS for comment on the grizzly situation prior to the Nov. 4 incident.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy wrote in an email that the COS is aware of grizzlies in the Pemberton area, and while bear sightings are common in rural areas, grizzly sightings are becoming more commonplace in the region.
Conservation officers are meeting with the municipality and local groups about bears to try and communicate how people can reduce bear conflicts.
Rural property owners are encouraged to install electric fencing for farm animals and secure attractants like garbage.
Residents should leash pets and not approach any bears. Bear conflicts can be reported to Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) at 1-877-952-7277.
The ministry said COS is monitoring RAPP reports for the area and will respond as necessary to keep people safe.
Residents can also contact C2C to learn about how to secure their property and to report grizzlies. They can respond during the day and are reachable at 1-250-344-0115.
Pique followed up with a second request for information following the Nov. 4 incident, and will update this story as necessary.
Check back for more as this story develops...
Editors note, Nov 7, 9:50 a.m.: Pique originally reported the bears were shot on Nov. 4, but the COS informed the outlet the twins were shot Nov. 3.
