It has been a while since Quesnel’s grizzly bear has been sighted.
Kyle Bueckert with the BC Conservation Service in Quesnel, says there were sightings of it in the West Fraser Timber Park and then on the west side of the Fraser River the following week, but nothing lately.
“My theory is that the bear swam the river and then the last few weeks we haven’t had any further sightings, which is good news. And the bear, from what I understand, has traveled south down the river and we haven’t had any recent sightings but obviously we still need to be diligent with any kind of attractants.”
It is rare that grizzly bears have been sighted so close to the city in the past, but Bueckert says it may become more common.
“Nothing is a given when it comes to wildlife. That being said, grizzly bear numbers are increasing and so are black bear numbers in the Cariboo, so I think there is a high probability that we will continue to see, whether or not it’s this grizzly bear but other grizzly bears in and around town, just based on their numbers.”
Bueckert says they have had a drastic reduction in bear calls over the past couple of weeks, and he says bears should be close to hibernating.
“With the cooler weather here and snow coming, bears are looking to den up for the season. So obviously they’re trying to grab their last calories and then hopefully they’ll be denning up.”
Bueckert says it was a very busy bear year in the Quesnel area and he would like to thank the public for its help in managing their own properties and attractants, and the businesses for trying to manage their bear attractants.
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