Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Tough love for Whistler bears

Aversion program aimed at saving conflict bears
1328bear_cheque_11
Mayor Ken Melamed accepts a $200,000 cheque from M.L.A. Joan McIntyre for Whistler's bear aversion program. Photo by Alison Taylor

A young female black bear that scaled a floor of the Marriott Hotel and found herself inside a room lured by the smell of peanut butter came back in town days after her relocation to nearby Wedge Mountain.

Despite a "hard release" at Wedge from Whistler’s bear officer Rob Groeger, who fired beanbags, rubber bullets and cracker shells at her, the young bear wandered "home."

She was lured by the smell of bacon and sausage wafting from an outdoor buffet at the Fairmont Chateau golf course, where staff chased her away.

Groeger said if she gets into trouble again he will ramp up the aversion conditioning, perhaps bringing in another officer, chasing after the bear through the bush and generally trying to get this young 75-pound bear to associate pain and stress with humans.

"It does hit hard (the beanbags and rubber bullets) and more than likely the bear will get a bruise out of it, but it’s designed not to kill the animal but adversely condition the animal," he said.

It’s a tough love technique but one that could save the bear’s life.

This unique aversion work, now in its second year of study in Whistler, was given a $200,000 boost last week from the provincial Ministry of Environment. The three-year study could rewrite the way B.C. towns deal with problem black bears.

Local MLA Joan McIntyre was on hand last Thursday to present the large cheque to Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed.

"What this bear aversion program is really about is saving the lives of bears," McIntyre said.

"We’re really trying to do the right thing for the bears."

Every year hundreds, and some years more than 1,000, black bears are destroyed mostly as a result of bear/human conflicts.

Even with the ongoing aversion study in Whistler two bears have been destroyed this season, one killed on Tuesday morning after getting into a home in Whistler Cay for the second time. It is believed this bear was also responsible for break-ins in White Gold, Nesters, Tapley’s Farm and an attempted break-in at the Whistler Golf Course Snack Shack.

He was, said Groeger, a severe risk to public safety.

Once a bear has learned how to break into a house and been rewarded with food there, it becomes a public safety risk.

The Whistler bear response officer has been called out to more than 20 different home invasions this year.

Sylvia Dolson, co-chair of the Whistler Black Bear Working Group which is responsible for the aversion research, explained their destruction protocol; once a bear has entered a four-sided structure it is considered for destruction.

"At this point they don’t feel that the behaviour can be reversed," she said.

And that’s why it’s so critical that Whistlerites understand they have a crucial role to play in protecting black bears.

"Every household counts," said Dolson.

If food is left out and if windows are left open, the bears are naturally drawn inside. The Marriott bear, for example, was lured not by leftovers on the hotel deck but by food inside the hotel room, which she could smell through the open patio door. And while the screen door was closed, Groeger said screens offer little deterrent to a black bear.

That bear has not caused any problems since the Chateau buffet incident and has been spotted eating natural food sources. Groeger said if he finds her again he might reinforce the aversion lessons to drive home the point.

"It’s sort of trying to be fair to the bear yet trying to train it not to go near people and stay away from people food," he said.

That bear is just one of several that has been keeping Whistler’s bear response officer very busy this year.

Calls to the call centre to report bear/human conflicts have skyrocketed this summer. There were 17 bear calls in June 2005, and more than 180 calls in June 2006.

Groeger said it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what has caused the tremendous spike in conflicts around Whistler.

One of the reasons could be the poor berry crop. That means older, more established bears are pushing the younger, smaller bears out of the good feeding areas, forcing them to look elsewhere. Naturally they look to the urban areas, where more often than not there can uncover garbage. A living example is a bear like Max, who also goes by the name Slip – the first moniker coined by longtime black bear researcher Michael Allen, the second by the newer bear researchers.

Max is three and a half years old and a familiar face around the village, where he frequently finds himself in trouble in his search for food. He is a bear that has learned to work the system, finding garbage rewards in his village visits.

"Last year he was one of the most intensely hazed bears in the village," said Groeger. "We did another big project on him this spring for 10 solid days and he stayed out of town for a while, and now he’s back through town. And the problem with that is now he’s getting more aggressive."

This behaviour, and Max’s seeming indifference to aversion techniques, means he is not a good candidate for home-range relocation. In fact, the chances are high Max could be destroyed.

But it is hoped that Max’s story isn’t the norm and that the bear aversion techniques being tested in Whistler can condition bears to avoid human conflicts.

The theory is to relocate the bears close-by so they have a greater chance of survival in familiar territory. This is unique to Whistler as most places relocate bears far away, where they may find themselves in competition and social conflict with other bears in the unfamiliar area. The research team does not consider it a long-term solution to a problem bear.

Depending on the results of the Whistler research, the solution may in part lie with aversion training.

The ultimate goal of the research is to define the most effective and efficient method for managing bears in conflict with humans with non-lethal methods.

"Hopefully, this $200,000 will help provide some long-sought-after answers that can help wildlife managers everywhere to reduce bear-human conflicts in communities that have made an attempt to control their garbage and other attractants," said Environment Minister Barry Penner.

The Whistler Black Bear Working Group, which is spearheading the research, includes the Get Bear Smart Society, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Whistler Bear Research Team, Whistler-Blackcomb, Carney’s Waste Systems and others.

To report a problem bear call 604-905-BEAR (2327). The phone line is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To report all poachers and polluters call 1-877-952-7277. There is zero tolerance for leaving out garbage and people can be fined $200.