BC Black Bear Killings Hit 15-Year Low

BC conservation officers killed just 211 black bears in 2025, down 65% from 2023's record high and the lowest total since records began in 2011. Wildlife experts credit abundant natural food and better attractant management for the historic drop.

By Cindy PetersonPublished: January 24, 2026

British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service killed 211 black bears in 2025, marking the lowest annual total since predator statistics began being published online in 2011 and representing a 65 percent drop from the record high of 2023.

The dramatic decline in bear deaths reflects a combination of environmental factors including a bumper berry crop across the BC Interior and improved community practices around securing attractants like garbage, pet food, and bird feeders.

For BC residents living in bear country, which includes most communities outside major urban centres, these numbers offer both encouraging news and a reminder that human behaviour remains the most critical factor in preventing conflicts that end in bear deaths.

The 2025 Numbers

Of the 211 black bears killed by conservation officers in 2025, 178 were "dispatched" for public safety reasons following human-wildlife conflicts, while 33 were euthanised for welfare reasons such as critical injuries. An additional 29 bears were killed by other entities, according to the BC Conservation Officer Service.

The West Coast region, covering Vancouver Island, the Central Coast, and Haida Gwaii, saw the most bears killed for public safety reasons at 47. The Okanagan reported the most euthanisations with eight.

These figures represent a stark contrast to recent years. In 2023, conservation officers killed 603 bears. In 2024, the number dropped to 303. The 2025 total of 211 continues that downward trend and establishes a new historic low for the 15-year period where detailed statistics have been publicly available.

Provincial statistics show an average of 560 black bears have been killed each year over the last 15 years by conservation officers and other entities. The 2025 figure sits well below that average, suggesting significant changes in either bear behaviour, human behaviour, or both.

What "Dispatch" and "Euthanise" Mean

Understanding these terms helps clarify why conservation officers kill bears and when those decisions are made.

Dispatched for Public Safety

"Dispatch" refers to bears killed because they pose a safety risk due to human-wildlife conflict. This typically occurs when bears have become habituated to human food sources, regularly approach people or residential areas, display aggressive behaviour, or repeatedly return to communities despite relocation attempts.

The decision to dispatch a bear is not made lightly. Conservation officers evaluate each situation based on the bear's behaviour, the level of risk to public safety, whether the bear has been involved in previous conflicts, and whether non-lethal options have been exhausted or would be effective.

Once a bear associates humans with food, that behaviour is difficult to reverse. Bears that have learned to raid garbage bins, break into homes, or approach people for food become dangerous because they lose their natural wariness of humans. A bear comfortable around people is more likely to injure someone, either intentionally or accidentally.

Euthanised for Welfare

"Euthanise" refers to bears killed for welfare reasons, meaning the bear is suffering from injuries or illness that cannot be treated. This might include bears hit by vehicles and critically injured, bears suffering from disease or severe malnutrition, bears with injuries from other wildlife that prevent survival, or orphaned cubs too young to survive on their own.

These deaths aren't related to human-wildlife conflict but rather represent humane responses to bears that would otherwise suffer or die slowly.

The relatively small number of euthanisations in 2025 at 33 bears suggests most bear deaths continue to result from conflict situations rather than welfare concerns.

Why 2025 Saw Fewer Bear Deaths

Wildlife experts point to several factors that contributed to the historic low number of bear killings in 2025.

Abundant Natural Food

Garth Mowat, a large carnivore specialist with the province, identified a large berry crop across the BC Interior in 2025 as a key factor. When bears have access to abundant natural food sources, they're less likely to venture into human-populated areas seeking food.

Bears are opportunistic feeders that will choose the easiest available calories. In years with poor berry crops or limited natural food, bears expand their range and are more likely to encounter human food sources. In years with excellent natural food availability, bears can meet their nutritional needs without leaving forested areas, reducing the likelihood of human encounters.

The 2025 berry crop was described as particularly robust across interior BC, providing ample food during the critical late summer and fall period when bears are hyperphagia, the biological drive to consume massive amounts of food before winter hibernation. A well-fed bear preparing for hibernation in the forest has little reason to visit towns and cities.

Improved Attractant Management

While natural food availability played a significant role, conservation officers also credit improved community practices around attractant management. Chief Conservation Officer Cam Schley stated that officers continue to work collaboratively with communities, organisations, and businesses on public education and outreach.

Many BC communities have implemented or strengthened bylaws requiring bear-resistant garbage bins, restricting outdoor garbage storage to specific days and times, banning bird feeders during bear active seasons, and requiring proper storage of pet food and livestock feed.

Public awareness campaigns emphasising that "a fed bear is a dead bear" appear to be influencing behaviour. When residents secure attractants, bears are less likely to enter residential areas, reducing conflicts that lead to dispatch decisions.

The BC Conservation Officer Service also reported 10,000 fewer calls to their Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline regarding black bear conflicts in 2024 compared to the previous year, suggesting fewer human-bear encounters overall.

Regional Variations

The fact that the West Coast region saw the most bears dispatched at 47 despite the overall provincial decline suggests some areas continue to face challenges with human-wildlife conflict. Vancouver Island and coastal communities often struggle with bears accessing garbage and residential areas due to dense human populations bordering bear habitat.

Understanding regional variations helps target education and enforcement efforts where they're most needed.

The Bigger Picture: 15 Years of Data

Looking at trends since 2011 when detailed statistics began being published online provides important context.

Historical Patterns

The number of black bears killed by BC conservation officers has fluctuated significantly over 15 years. The highest recorded total was 632 bears in 2019. Most years saw between 500 and 600 bears killed. The record high of 603 came in 2023. The 2024 drop to 303 bears represented a 50 percent decrease from 2023, and the 2025 figure of 211 continues that downward trend.

These variations correlate with natural food availability, weather patterns affecting berry crops, and community practices around attractant management. Years with poor berry crops or drought conditions typically see higher conflict numbers, while years with abundant natural food see fewer bears killed.

What the Decline Means

The two-year trend of declining bear deaths from 603 in 2023 to 303 in 2024 and 211 in 2025 represents the most dramatic sustained decrease since records began. This suggests that a combination of favorable environmental conditions and improved human behaviour is having a measurable impact.

However, these numbers represent only bears killed by conservation officers, not the total mortality of black bears in BC. Black bears are also legally harvested during two hunting seasons, which on average results in approximately 5,000 additional bears killed each year. Conservation officer dispatches represent a small fraction of total bear mortality but are particularly important because they indicate the level of human-wildlife conflict occurring in communities.

The Burnaby Mountain Incident

While provincial numbers show encouraging trends, individual incidents highlight ongoing challenges. In September 2025, a black bear that had been recorded on video stealing food from picnickers on Burnaby Mountain was trapped and killed by conservation officers.

The bear had been spotted multiple times in Burnaby Mountain Park adjacent to Simon Fraser University, accessing picnic lunches on three consecutive days. A viral video showing the bear approaching people and taking food received millions of views on social media.

Conservation Officer Kent Popjes stated the bear had to be killed because it had become acclimatised to humans and lacked fear, making it a public safety risk. The decision sparked debate among Burnaby residents, with some calling for more to be done to protect wildlife and questioning why lethal options were pursued.

The incident illustrates the difficult decisions conservation officers face. Once a bear has learned that people equal food and has lost its natural wariness, relocating the bear rarely works because the behaviour is ingrained. Bears relocated after becoming habituated to human food often return to areas with people or seek out humans at their new location.

Popjes emphasised that the real issue was people leaving food unattended in bear habitat. The bear's behaviour resulted from human actions that taught it to associate people with food.

What This Means for BC Residents

For people living in bear country, which includes most BC communities outside Metro Vancouver's urban core, understanding these numbers and what drives bear conflicts is essential for coexistence.

Bears Are Common Throughout BC

Black bears inhabit forested areas throughout British Columbia. Most BC residents outside major cities live in or adjacent to bear habitat. Understanding that bears are part of the landscape helps frame appropriate responses and expectations.

The goal isn't to eliminate bears from areas near human populations but to maintain natural bear behaviour where bears avoid people and don't associate humans with food.

Human Behaviour Drives Conflict

The overwhelming majority of human-bear conflicts that result in bear deaths begin with human actions. Leaving garbage accessible, feeding birds during bear season, leaving pet food outdoors, and storing fruit trees without securing fallen fruit all attract bears to residential areas.

Once a bear finds an easy food source in a neighbourhood, it will return repeatedly. That bear then teaches other bears and cubs that human areas provide food. One unsecured garbage bin can create multiple problem bears over time.

Prevention Works

The dramatic decline in bear deaths in 2024 and 2025 demonstrates that prevention strategies work. When communities collectively secure attractants and natural food is abundant, fewer bears are killed.

This isn't just good for bears. Preventing conflicts also means fewer dangerous encounters for humans, less property damage from bears breaking into homes and vehicles, and lower costs for communities dealing with problem wildlife.

How Communities Can Continue Progress

Maintaining the downward trend in bear deaths requires ongoing commitment from individuals, communities, and local governments.

Securing Attractants Year-Round

Many people secure garbage during summer and fall when bears are most active but relax practices in winter. However, bears can emerge from dens during warm spells, and spring bear activity begins earlier than many people expect. Maintaining secure practices year-round prevents bears from finding food sources during unexpected activity periods.

Key attractants to secure include garbage stored in bear-resistant bins or structures, compost kept in bear-proof containers or indoors, pet food stored inside, not left on decks or in garages, bird feeders taken down from April through November, fruit trees with fruit picked promptly and fallen fruit removed, and livestock feed stored securely.

Community-Wide Approaches

Individual actions matter, but community-wide approaches have greater impact. Municipalities can implement and enforce bylaws requiring bear-resistant garbage containers, restricting outdoor garbage storage times, banning bird feeders during active bear seasons, and requiring proper attractant management.

Communities that implement comprehensive approaches see measurable declines in bear conflicts. Whistler, for example, has invested heavily in bear-proof bins and public education, resulting in fewer bear deaths despite high bear populations and heavy human use of mountain areas.

Education and Outreach

Many people living in bear country lack understanding of bear behaviour and what attracts them. Ongoing education helps new residents and visitors understand their responsibilities.

Conservation officers work with community groups, schools, and local governments to deliver bear awareness programs. Supporting these efforts and participating in community education helps spread knowledge about coexistence.

Reporting and Supporting Enforcement

When people see unsecured attractants or problem bear behaviour, reporting to conservation officers helps prevent escalation. The Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277 accepts reports about attractant problems and bear conflicts.

Supporting bylaws that require attractant management and enforcement against repeat offenders who refuse to secure garbage or other attractants helps protect bears and community safety.

Looking Ahead

While 2025's record low is encouraging, conservation officers emphasise that continued progress depends on sustained effort. Chief Conservation Officer Cam Schley noted that while the decrease in bear deaths is encouraging, the public continues to have a critical role in reducing human-wildlife conflicts.

Natural food availability will fluctuate from year to year based on weather, climate patterns, and other environmental factors beyond human control. In years with poor berry crops or drought affecting natural food sources, bears will again face pressure to seek food in human areas.

The factor humans can control is attractant management. Maintaining secure practices even in years when natural food is abundant helps reinforce that human areas don't provide food, reducing conflicts when environmental conditions are less favorable.

Climate Change Considerations

Climate change may affect future bear behaviour and conflict patterns. Warmer temperatures can extend the period when bears are active outside dens, increase the frequency of mid-winter emergencies from hibernation, affect berry crops and other natural food sources, and alter the timing of seasonal food availability.

Understanding how changing climate patterns affect bear behaviour will help communities adapt their coexistence strategies.

Regional Challenges

While provincial numbers are encouraging, some regions continue to face significant challenges. Coastal communities on Vancouver Island and the mainland coast often see higher conflict numbers due to dense human populations adjacent to bear habitat and year-round mild temperatures that keep bears active longer.

Targeting resources and education toward communities with persistent problems helps address regional variations and ensures all BC residents benefit from effective coexistence strategies.

The Role of Conservation Officers

BC conservation officers face difficult decisions when responding to bear conflicts. The job requires balancing public safety, animal welfare, and the reality that once a bear has learned certain behaviours, changing them is often impossible.

Officers use various tools before resorting to lethal options including hazing bears with noise or non-lethal projectiles to reinforce fear of humans, relocating bears that haven't become habituated to human food, setting conditions for offenders who repeatedly create attractant problems, and educating communities about prevention.

However, when a bear has become food-conditioned and habituated to humans, particularly if it has approached people or entered homes, lethal action is often the only viable option for public safety.

Understanding the difficult choices officers face helps communities recognise that preventing conflicts is more effective and humane than relying on officers to manage problem bears after behaviour patterns are established.

What Success Looks Like

The goal isn't zero bear deaths. Bears will occasionally need to be euthanised for welfare reasons, and some conflicts will occur despite best prevention efforts. However, the dramatic decrease from 603 bears in 2023 to 211 in 2025 demonstrates that significant progress is possible.

Success means most bears live their entire lives without dangerous human encounters, communities coexist safely with bear populations, and preventable conflicts are eliminated through proper attractant management. BC residents understand bear behaviour and their role in prevention, and lethal actions are reserved for genuinely dangerous situations after non-lethal options are exhausted.

The 2025 numbers suggest BC is moving toward this vision of successful coexistence. Maintaining progress requires ongoing commitment from all residents who share the landscape with black bears.