Conservation

B.C. Conservation Officer Service. (Black Press file)

Mother bear and cubs in Nanaimo put down after getting into garbage 50 times

B.C. Conservation Officer Service says decision to euthanize animals wasn’t taken lightly

B.C. Conservation Officer Service. (Black Press file)
The BC Conservation Officer Service is asking people not to disturb fawns, even if they appear alone. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

‘Don’t be a fawn-napper’: BC Conservation reminds public to leave baby deer alone

Lonely-looking fawns likely aren’t actually abandoned, conservation service says

The BC Conservation Officer Service is asking people not to disturb fawns, even if they appear alone. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
A bear, top left, and two cubs are expected to be relocated by officials after being spotted on Moyse Crescent in Nanaimo on May 28. (Photo courtesy James Toews)

Relocation for mother bear and cubs after being spotted in central Nanaimo

Animals located in wooded area near hospital district, according to Nanaimo RCMP

A bear, top left, and two cubs are expected to be relocated by officials after being spotted on Moyse Crescent in Nanaimo on May 28. (Photo courtesy James Toews)
Bear viewing guide and expert Ellie Lamb is concerned B.C. conservation officers are euthanizing too many bears, but the conservation service says it’s always a last resort. (Submitted: Tracy Duncan)

BC Conservation needs oversight on bear euthanizations, expert argues

More than 600 bears killed in B.C. in 2021

Bear viewing guide and expert Ellie Lamb is concerned B.C. conservation officers are euthanizing too many bears, but the conservation service says it’s always a last resort. (Submitted: Tracy Duncan)
Signage warning about the bear on the loose in Port Hardy. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)

UPDATED: Two black bears euthanized after man aggressively pursued in Port Hardy

Two bears matching description of the aggressive bear trapped and destroyed by conservation officers

Signage warning about the bear on the loose in Port Hardy. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)
Signage warning about the bear on the loose in Port Hardy. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)

UPDATED: Two black bears euthanized after man aggressively pursued in Port Hardy

Two bears matching description of the aggressive bear trapped and destroyed by conservation officers

Signage warning about the bear on the loose in Port Hardy. (Tyson Whitney - North Island Gazette)
Avid volunteers and individual landowners can support efforts to protect and monitor the province’s 15 bat species by downloading the 2022 Bat Count data form and recording and submitting their summer tallies. (Courtesy of the Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project)

Volunteers called up to bat for BC Annual Bat Count

Help needed tallying roosting bats to support protection of species populations

Avid volunteers and individual landowners can support efforts to protect and monitor the province’s 15 bat species by downloading the 2022 Bat Count data form and recording and submitting their summer tallies. (Courtesy of the Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project)
The BC Conservation Officer Service has recommended charges against a Lower Mainland man for feeding wildlife. (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Lower Mainland resident allegedly fed bears and coyotes for months

B.C. conservation officers have recommended charges against them

The BC Conservation Officer Service has recommended charges against a Lower Mainland man for feeding wildlife. (Courtesy of the National Park Service)
Two orphaned grizzly bear cubs run while playing at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on July 8, 2020. Records obtained by non-profit Fur-Bearers show 77 bears cubs and juveniles were euthanized in B.C. in 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

77 young bears killed in 2021, sparking complaint from animal rights group

Group argues B.C. Conservation euthanized some bears when no clear threat to public existed

Two orphaned grizzly bear cubs run while playing at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on July 8, 2020. Records obtained by non-profit Fur-Bearers show 77 bears cubs and juveniles were euthanized in B.C. in 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Two orphaned grizzly bear cubs run while playing at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on July 8, 2020. Records obtained by non-profit Fur-Bearers show 77 bears cubs and juveniles were euthanized in B.C. in 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

77 young bears killed in 2021, sparking complaint from animal rights group

Port Alberni-based spokesperson says B.C. Conservation euthanized bears posing no threat to public

Two orphaned grizzly bear cubs run while playing at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on July 8, 2020. Records obtained by non-profit Fur-Bearers show 77 bears cubs and juveniles were euthanized in B.C. in 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Salmon warriors during the May 7 flotilla.

Flotilla pounds drums against fish farm licence renewal across Tofino waters

A flotilla for wild salmon called on the federal government to not renew fish farm licenses for 2022

Salmon warriors during the May 7 flotilla.
An upstream view of BC Hydro’s Strathcona Dam. The company is under fire from the BC Wildlife Federation, which says BC Hydro isn’t meeting its environmental compensation requirements. (BC Hydro photo)

BC Hydro falling short on environmental obligations, conservation group claims

BC Wildlife Federation calls for auditor general to examine electric company

An upstream view of BC Hydro’s Strathcona Dam. The company is under fire from the BC Wildlife Federation, which says BC Hydro isn’t meeting its environmental compensation requirements. (BC Hydro photo)
A new 30-metre wide opening in the Fraser River’s North Arm Jetty allows juvenile Chinook salmon to reach a vital estuary for the first time in more than 100 years. (Photo by Alex Harris/Raincoast Conservation Foundation)

Juvenile salmon gain access to crucial B.C. habitat for first time in 100 years

New opening in Fraser River jetty allows for slow transition from fresh to salt water

A new 30-metre wide opening in the Fraser River’s North Arm Jetty allows juvenile Chinook salmon to reach a vital estuary for the first time in more than 100 years. (Photo by Alex Harris/Raincoast Conservation Foundation)
Dan Simmons shows off an award he received from the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. for his efforts to conserve cow moose. (Angie Mindus photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

Cow Moose Sign founder honoured for efforts to conserve B.C. moose population

Williams Lake’s Dan Simmons continues to push government to stop issuing all LEH tags for cow moose

Dan Simmons shows off an award he received from the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. for his efforts to conserve cow moose. (Angie Mindus photo - Williams Lake Tribune)
(Photo - Conservation Officer Service - Facebook)

Charges possible for attempting to sell threatened turtle in Kelowna

The turtle was taken back to the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops

(Photo - Conservation Officer Service - Facebook)
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is warning residents of East Sooke and Metchosin after a recent string of cougar attacks on pets left one dog dead. (Black Press Media file photo)

Warning issued after dog killed in string of Metchosin, East Sooke cougar attacks

Three attacks on large dogs in rural area have been confirmed in the last two weeks

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is warning residents of East Sooke and Metchosin after a recent string of cougar attacks on pets left one dog dead. (Black Press Media file photo)
Decoys like this juvenile grizzly bear are used in the wildlife attack training scenarios for the conservation officers. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Predator attack scenarios prepare B.C. conservation officers for real-life calls

Attacks ‘extremely rare’ but officers need to be prepared, says CO during training in Chilliwack

Decoys like this juvenile grizzly bear are used in the wildlife attack training scenarios for the conservation officers. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
A cougar was tranquilized and safely relocated after being spotted near Nanaimo Regional General Hospital the morning of March 3. (B.C. Conservation Officer Service photo)

Cougar tranquilized after being spotted outside Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

B.C. Conservation Officer Service suspect male cougar may have been searching for deer

A cougar was tranquilized and safely relocated after being spotted near Nanaimo Regional General Hospital the morning of March 3. (B.C. Conservation Officer Service photo)
Abkhazi Garden will be permanently protected from development if a proposal from Aryze Developments and the Land Conservancy of B.C. is approved by the City of Victoria. (The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden/Facebook)

Proposal could permanently protect Victoria’s Abkhazi Garden from development

Aryze Developments looks to purchase density rights from garden site, transfer to nearby property

Abkhazi Garden will be permanently protected from development if a proposal from Aryze Developments and the Land Conservancy of B.C. is approved by the City of Victoria. (The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden/Facebook)
Nanaimo-based photographer Shane Gross is one of four winners of this year’s Save Our Seas Foundation Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Nanaimo photographer selected for ocean storytelling grant

Shane Gross’s images of marine life selected from field of 150 competitors from 47 countries

Nanaimo-based photographer Shane Gross is one of four winners of this year’s Save Our Seas Foundation Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)