North Shore’s ‘Rufus’ the bear killed by BC Conservation Officer Service

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A well-liked bear that had a bit of a following in Lynn Valley on the North Shore has been killed by the BC Conservation Officer Service.

Luci Cadman with the North Shore Black Bear Society says the animal was called “Rufus” and the killing on Wednesday has upset some people.

But she says people living in Lynn Valley are actually partly to blame because the bear was finding plenty of food in people’s yards, including garbage, unpicked fruit, and bird feeders.

“Bears are going into a … period of excessive eating and drinking to prepare for winter dormancy, which means as fall approaches, they will become much more active and, in fact, much more visible.”

The bear had been spending more time in residential areas during the day, which Cadman says usually isn’t tolerated by the Conservation Officer Service.

“I haven’t had an update from the Conservation Officer Service for the total number of bears that we’ve lost on the North Shore this year. But just in July, they let me know that six bears were killed for entering a confined space. That could be a carport, a shed, a garbage enclosure, or an open garage,” she said.

Cadman fears Rufus’ death could be just the first of many this fall.

“There are many bears across the North Shore that are at risk of being killed because they are finding unnatural food from people every single day. We strongly encourage people to secure food sources,” she added.

That means storing garbage and organics inside as much as possible. People living on the North Shore are not allowed to put anything out for collection until the morning of pick-up.

Cadman is also asking people to collect fallen fruit and regularly pick their fruit trees.

“Take down bird feeders. They are very, very strong bear attractants,” she added.

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She says many people believe bears aren’t often active during daylight hours, but that’s a misconception.

“In fact, the bears that live on the periphery of urban environments on the North Shore are what we call the vulnerable population. That would be those moms and cubs, juvenile bears, old bears, and occasionally injured bears … forced to live a little bit closer to people and be active during the daytime for safety from dominant male bears that typically live farther away from people and are more active at night.”

People living on the North Shore should expect to see more bears this time of year, and Cadman urges people to give them lots of space.

“We can teach these bears the boundaries … Bears are very intelligent. We don’t need to use a very loud voice, but they actually respond to tone. From a safe place, if the bear is on your property, you can maintain eye contact, use a firm tone, and encourage that bear to leave. It’s not about making them afraid of people, but it’s setting those boundaries.”