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Two bears destroyed on weekend

Two more bears were killed in Whistler over the long weekend. The Conservation Officer Service destroyed a young sterling female on Saturday after it ripped into a tent at Riverside Campground.

Two more bears were killed in Whistler over the long weekend.

The Conservation Officer Service destroyed a young sterling female on Saturday after it ripped into a tent at Riverside Campground.

The campers were not on site at the time but employees of the campground called the Conservation Officer Service. They responded and found that the bear had gotten into a toiletry bag and a small cooler. Dave Jevons of the COS said the bear had gotten into a bottle of beer, as well.

This was the second time the COS had dealt with this bear. She was previously captured in May in Whistler Village around the day lots.

"Given the bear's high level of conflict and high level of habituation, and the fact that it was ripping into tents, that's why it was destroyed," Jevons said.

The bear was shot on scene.

The campers were fined $100 for the incident in violation Riverside Campground's policy against leaving food and cooking utensils that might attract bears.

On Sunday, a bear was euthanized on Highway 99. RCMP and COS responded to a call from a motorist who had hit the wandering immature bear just south of Brandywine Provincial Park. The motorist was on site when officers arrived and was co-operative.

The bear was severely injured in the accident and officers decided it had to be put down.

These are the eighth and ninth bear deaths this year, which Jevons said is "not particularly high," though he said it has been a busy month for the COS. They received a 154 calls in July compared to 53 in July 2009.

Another bear, believed to be the sibling of the one destroyed at Riverside, was tranquilized in the village day lots on July 21 and relocated to Meager Creek near Pemberton. Jevons said the two cubs were the same age and had been seen together prior to the campground incident.