Residents of Texada Island have been warned about a large grizzly bear on the island.
The qathet (Powell River) Regional District said the bear swam to Texada on Saturday or Sunday after spending about a week in the Powell River area.
The bear, an adult male with a yellow ear tag, was first spotted in Shehtekwahn bay, across from Powell River.
Texada resident Mark Robert and his girlfriend were the first to photograph the grizzly.
“[We were] out driving around the back roads just killing some time on a Sunday and we went down to the beach [at Pocahontas Bay]. We’re heading home. We came around a blind corner and we both said at the same time, ‘Oh, there’s a bear. Oh, my God, it’s a grizzly,’ ” Robert said in an interview.
Robert said seeing the grizzly was a jarring experience.
“It’s weird because forever there’s been no predator. My family is second generation who grew up on Texada, and there’s been no bears. The biggest predator is a raccoon,” Robert said. “But unbelievable, last September, I saw a black bear walking through my job site where I work at one of the quarries. So now I’ve seen two bears in seven months.”
Texada residents are being urged to exercise caution and to take steps to prevent the bear from accessing human food and garbage.
“This is critical to avoid the bear becoming habituated to local communities,” the regional district said.
The Conservation Officers Service said it will respond as needed to ensure public safety.
Roberts said there are “some people who are really nervous, and other people who’ve been around bears before [who] aren’t that nervous.”
Grizzly bears have been swimming to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands from the mainland for decades, but have not established themselves on a permanent basis. Often, those that swim over are younger males being forced out of breeding territories.
However, last August, a grizzly sow and her cubs were photographed near Sayward on the North Island watching a herd of elk.
After watching the young family in the Salmon River estuary and area, Gerald Whalley, a former guide who lives on the Salmon River, told the Times Colonist at the time that the dozens that have made the Johnstone Strait crossing by island-hopping to the narrowest point near Sayward have all been males.
But those grizzlies have always left, unable to find mates, said Whalley, adding with the arrival of the sow, “it won’t be long before a boar shows up.”
For safety tips and information on bears, go to wildsafebc.com/learn/play.
To report a sighting to the Conservation Officer Service RAPP line, call 1-877-952-7277.
