Six black bears have been destroyed this season on the North Shore after incidents involving human food or habituation, while other bears died in separate circumstances.
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Six black bears have been destroyed on the North Shore this year following incidents where the animals broke into homes or garages in search of easily accessible food, according to the North Shore Black Bear Society.
The society said two other bears died after being hit by vehicles—one struck by a train and another hit by a vehicle on the highway—and another bear was found dead with no clues about how it died.
In the most recent incident, North Vancouver RCMP shot and killed a black bear in Lower Lonsdale on Tuesday morning, Sept. 29. Residents spotted the bear around First Street and Lonsdale Avenue and called 911.
RCMP Const. Paul Reece said the bear appeared to have been eating from garbage bins and showed no sign of fear when he approached it, and that euthanizing the bear was chosen for public safety due to the risk of a significant conflict between people and the animal.
The society said the RCMP-killed bear was the third to be destroyed in the past week. Holly Reisner, the society’s executive director, said it has been a busy year for bear activity in the region.
Reisner said a large male bear entered a garage in Seymour Heights around 10 p.m. on Sunday evening, Sept. 27, and was also shot this week. She said residents sometimes leave garage doors open where garbage or food is stored, and that it can take only a few minutes for bears to find the source.
In another case, Reisner said a female bear with an ear tag was shot by conservation officers after entering a home in the Lynn Canyon area.
Reisner said three other bears met untimely ends on the North Shore this year from causes separate from these destruction incidents: a decomposed bear was discovered in West Vancouver in June, a young bear was killed by a train near Caulfeild in August, and a female bear was euthanized on scene after being hit by a vehicle on Highway 1 near the Cypress highway exit in West Vancouver; her cub ran off.
Reisner said the unusual level of bear activity in residential areas this year may be linked to the failure of wild berry crops in higher elevations and smaller berries ripening early, leaving less time for bears to feed before they wilt.
She said this year is also an “off year” for pink salmon, meaning few of that species will return to the Fraser River in 2026, and noted that bears are in a fall hyperphagia phase when they feed heavily before denning.
Reisner said she expects bear activity to normally decline around late October or early November, but that if bears do not gain enough body fat they may remain active longer.
In light of the recent incidents, Reisner said residents should manage potential bear attractants, including ripe fruit, and keep garbage and food inside garages. She also said vehicles should be parked with doors and windows closed and locked, and that bears have been known to open car doors from the outside by pressing down on handles or pulling at windows until they break. She added that once inside a car with the door shut behind them, bears may not be good at getting out, potentially damaging the vehicle’s interior.
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