A Prince George RCMP officer shot and killed an adult black bear at Pine Centre Mall Sunday afternoon and conservation officers are reminding city residents to remain vigilant about keeping their garbage containers locked up and secure to prevent bear encounters.
Police responding to another incident at the mall that day were told of a bear that had wandered into the east end of the parking lot near Save-On-Foods and was showing no fear of humans. The RCMP officer used the police cruiser and its siren to try to scare off the bear but failed deter it and ultimately shot it to end the threat it posed to public safety.
“It was a garbage-habituated bear just looking for those last few calories (before hibernation),” said BC Conservation officer Eamon McArthur. “We’re constantly butting heads with people to keep garbage and attractants managed."
McArthur said that bear most likely wondered in from Carrie Jane Gray Park or from a greenbelt corridor west of Westwood Drive.
“It was in the middle of the day in the parking lot and it was not reacting to attempts to haze and due to their public safety concern they made that decision to euthanize it,” said McArthur. “It was very non-responsive to human presence and noise.”
Incidents of bear sightings in Prince George neighbourhoods reached an all-time high this summer and early fall, mostly due to extreme drought conditions that cut short the berry crop season in the forests that surround the city.
“The food sources are running even lower and people need to be cognizant to start managing attractant eve harder this time of year,” said McArthur.
“Even when the snow flies there’s always a chance there might be one or two around because it’s all based around calorie content, they get the calories they need and that’s when they hibernate. There’s always going to be problem bears that have issues that won’t hibernate and that’s something people need to be aware of.”
