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Grouse grizzlies kill black bear cub

THE recent killing of a black bear cub by Grouse Mountain's resident grizzlies was an example of nature taking its course, according to a representative for the resort. The incident, which took place Oct.

THE recent killing of a black bear cub by Grouse Mountain's resident grizzlies was an example of nature taking its course, according to a representative for the resort.

The incident, which took place Oct. 2 but which was not made widely public until the Vancouver Sun ran a story this week, was unfortunate, said a spokeswoman, but was ultimately a reality of bear behaviour.

"(The grizzlies) behave how that they would in nature," said Sarah Lusk, a spokeswoman for Grouse. "This is the first incident the bears have had in the 10 years that they've been here with a black bear."

The roughly nine-month old cub worked its way under the fence that contains the mountain's two rescued grizzlies, Grinder and Coola, at about 5: 30 p.m. Oct. 2. A small number of visitors watched helplessly as the resident bears attacked the intruder and killed it. Resort employees were unable to intervene for safety reasons, said Lusk.

"Our wildlife staff were immediately on the scene, but couldn't do anything to save the cub," she said.

They were forced to wait until the grizzlies were in another portion of the enclosure before entering to retrieve the body.

The mountain reviewed the incident, said Lusk, but ultimately concluded it didn't warrant changes to the way in which the bears are managed.

Christine Miller, education co-ordinator for the North Shore Black Bear Society, was generally in agreement.

"It was rather unfortunate," she said. "But I'm not out to point a finger at Grouse."

That grizzlies will kill black bear cubs is an unpleasant fact of nature, said Miller. "In the wild, they certainly could eat it," she said. "(But) these guys are well fed, so it was probably more of a territorial thing; they kill things that enter their space."

jweldon@nsnews.com