A person was captured on video instigating and getting very close to a black bear in Whistler.
Svitlana Shyliakova was visiting Whistler over the long weekend with a few friends. As they were walking through the village on Monday around 1 a.m., a stranger shouted to warn them to be careful as a bear was nearby.
“We had no plans to get close, and we even had bear spray with us just in case. Luckily, we didn’t need it. The bear was simply looking for food under benches and around trash cans,” Shyliakova tells Glacier Media.
She took out her phone to film the black bear near the Roots clothing store.
A man can be seen in the video sitting on a railing nearby. He did not move as the bear approached him.
Another man can be seen walking up to the bear; with his phone in his hand, he appears to be filming the bear. As he approaches the animal, it turns and moves towards him. He can be heard saying "rawr" at the bear.
Two people shout, "Leave him alone," in an attempt to get the man to stop bothering the bear.
"We were shocked to see that the guy went so close to him,” says Shyliakova. "No one tried to touch the bear, but people still got a bit too close."
The Conservation Officer Service (COS) says it was made aware of "several sightings" and , including one video reported as recently as Monday.
"We understand residents and visitors may be accustomed to seeing black bears but we ask people to never feed or approach bears,” says a spokesperson.
Feeding bears is an unlawful activity that puts the safety of people, and bears, at risk, says the COS.
Black bear euthanized in Whistler
On Sunday, a black bear that did have a history of "conflict behaviour in Whistler Villager" was euthanized by conservation officers due to a risk to public safety.
This bear entered an occupied facility in Whistler Village for food. The bear also previously accessed an unsecured grease food trap and frequented confined spaces.
Last year, the bear was tagged and relocated to a wilderness area but returned.
A COS spokesperson confirms the bear that was euthanized on Sunday is not the same bear in the video from Monday at 1 a.m.
People are being reminded that bears will find any opportunity to access food. The public is being asked to secure all attractants and to lock doors.
Whistler RCMP confirmed that the public can call them at 604-932-3044 or report all bear conflicts to conservation officers at 1-877-952-7277.
