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bear concerns

The Jennifer Jones Whistler Bear Foundation has some tough questions for the senior conservation officer about why local resources are so scarce.

The Jennifer Jones Whistler Bear Foundation has some tough questions for the senior conservation officer about why local resources are so scarce. In a July 19 letter to Mark Hayden Bear Foundation President Diane Hardouin asks why no replacement has been officer has been sent for one local conservation officer who is on extended sick leave. Hardouin also says there is a lack of funding for bear relocation and not enough money for the drug used to sedate bears. Hardouin points out the Jennifer Jones Bear Foundation is paying a bear contractor to relocate bears, at a cost of about $250 a day — a service previously done by conservation officers. The foundation is also prepared to assist in funding for Telezol, the drug used to sedate bears. "I believe that a private foundation like ours is taking a risk in providing services normally covered by the Provincial Government," Hardouin concludes. "If such a precedent is set, then what is our recourse in future years? Perhaps we should look at joint funding and work as a team to provide the best possible service to the community and its wildlife." As of the middle of the week the Jennifer Jones Bear Foundation had not heard back from Hayden. Hayden could not be reached by Pique.