Posted on 02/16/2026 4:01:37 AM PST by marktwain
During 2025, a saga unfolded where a dangerous, food-habituated grizzly bear swam across three miles of saltwater to Texada Island in British Columbia, Canada. The bear had been tagged in the left ear. It was a young boar about 4 years old that had been relocated twice due to conflicts with humans. The bear kept coming back. Just before the swim, the bear had been breaking into fishing boats and had stalked two teenagers on the beach. They had to take to the water to avoid the bear on May 22, 2025. COS is the acronym for the Conservation Officers Service in British Columbia. From sportfishing.com:
The COS cited additional encounters in May, including on May 22 in Powell River.
“The bear displayed aggressive behaviour by stalking two residents while walking on a trail,” stated COS.
Fortunately, the residents were able to escape, but it wasn’t easy.
“The people escaped by entering and remaining in the water for half an hour while the bear remained on shore circling back and forth. The grizzly bear tore up one of their jackets on shore before leaving,” COS said.
Another recent incident occurred on May 27 on Texada Island.
According to COS, “the grizzly bear stalked a resident walking home with her horse and dog for half a kilometer.”
On Texada Island, residents appeared united in opposition to a grizzly bear invasion. Opinions were divided about how to remove the bear. Some residents thought the bear should be killed. Others thought the bear should be trapped and relocated. The COS was not willing to apply either option. They would not issue a kill order for the bear, but stated it was too habituated to relocate, as it already came back to areas of dense human population after two relocation attempts.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROkSFRthrGI
BC is not lacking in Grizzly bears.
This bear should have killed long before it went to the island.
Bears are not good neighbors and should not be tolerated around humans
Here in Michigan, you can't relocate trapped nuisance animals such as raccoons, you have to put them down.
All grizzlies are dangerous would be my attitude. This one more dangerous perhaps, but ALL dangerous!
With enough hunting pressure, surviving grizzly bears learn to avoid humans.
By 1900, grizzly bears in the western USA ran from humans.
Riddle me this: Damn thing swam seven miles to get there, but two people escaped attack by wading into the water?
The teens were pretty lucky. They didn’t know that bear could swim three miles!
I think bears have poor-ish eyesight. If they waded into the water, the bear may have lost their scent. No fun for them: caught between a known bear and whatever lurked in the water near the shore.
Ixnay on my memory of the poor eyesight myth. Grizzly bears are comparable to humans.
In this case, the only option is to kill it.
Some residents thought the bear should be killed. Others thought the bear should be trapped and relocated. The COS was not willing to apply either option. They would not issue a kill order for the bear, but stated it was too habituated to relocate, as it already came back to areas of dense human population after two relocation attempts.
BC COS flunkies are POS.
We don't want to waste time relocating the bear because we know it will come back but we don't want to kill the bear because it is a cute cuddly animal.
Oh! We don't know what to do.
Then some one does their job for them and gets fined for their trouble.
Obviously they were waiting for the bear to kill somebody.
Exactly my thought.
Jeez, I bet that water’s cold all the way up there in British Colombia in May...
The town I lived in, Mt. Clemens had a prohibition against using firearms in city limits unless for killing a nuisance animal.
I will suggest that the bear be transported and released in Ontario
Couldn’t they eat him?
Bears are people too! LOL!
Just another example of modern man complicating an easily rectified situation. I have a pre-’64 Model 70 Winchester that would have concluded this matter in less time than it takes to open a bottle of beer...
Best reply yet.
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