The grizzly bear that’s been wandering Texada Island for more than a month has been found dead after being shot, just days after the province started a plan with First Nations to relocate the large carnivore.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service confirmed the bear is the tagged grizzly seen on the island in recent weeks.
The animal was found in the Van Anda area on the north end of the island, and is expected to undergo a necropsy.
The province said Tuesday it had been working on a plan to capture and move the grizzly from Texada to a remote area up the coast, far away from communities.
“I’m saddened … this isn’t how we wanted this to end,” said Randene Neill, B.C.’s minister of water, land and resource management, in a statement.
Neill said the relocation plan was to be done in partnership with First Nations, which had requested the approach.
The four-year-old bear was first spotted on Texada on May 25 after swimming over from the Powell River area.
The grizzly had been reported as following some residents and stalking livestock since its arrival on the 300-square-kilometre island, home to about 1,200 people, but there had been no reports of any injuries.
Conservation officers arrived on Texada on Monday in response to a report by the RCMP that the grizzly had been “shot and possibly wounded” by a member of the public.
The province had previously said the grizzly was not a candidate for relocation after two previous attempts failed.
However, Neill said those plans changed. “We were working with First Nations partners to confirm the bear’s exact location and movements, in preparation for placing a trap,” she said.
The plan included wildlife experts from the ministry, First Nations Guardians and other sources to locate the bear.
The bear was spotted on July 10, said Neill, but before its movements could be confirmed to place the trap, organizers learned the bear was dead.
The minister said the province will investigate to determine what happened.
Once the necropsy is complete, it will work with the Tla’amin First Nation and shíshálh Nation to ensure the bear’s remains are returned to them for ceremonial purposes, said Neill.
The grizzly was tagged and moved from Gibsons last fall, and was moved again from Sechelt. It then showed up in Powell River, where it was getting into boats and stalking a couple on a picnic, who had to retreat to the water and remain there while the grizzly paced on shore for half an hour.
Three First Nations had asked the province for permission to move the grizzly into their territories.
John Powell, elected chief of Mamalilikulla First Nation, called the situation a “ticking time bomb” last month, saying it was inevitable the bear was going to run into a human or animal and “have a negative engagement.”
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to report it to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.
