Conservation

A conservation officer shot and killed a cougar in Sooke Feb. 2 following multiple sightings and dead house cats. (WildSafe BC photo)

Cat-killing cougar shot dead in Sooke

Conservation officers responded to multiple reports, including threatened dog walker

  • Feb 2, 2021
A conservation officer shot and killed a cougar in Sooke Feb. 2 following multiple sightings and dead house cats. (WildSafe BC photo)
An elk got his antlers caught up in a zip line in Youbou over the weekend. (Conservation Officer Service Photo)

Elk rescued from zip line in Youbou

Officials urge people to manage items on their property that can hurt animals

  • Jan 18, 2021
An elk got his antlers caught up in a zip line in Youbou over the weekend. (Conservation Officer Service Photo)
An elk got his antlers caught up in a zip line in Youbou over the weekend. (Conservation Officer Service Photo)

Elk rescued from zip line in Youbou on Vancouver Island

Officials urge people to manage items on their property that can hurt animals

  • Jan 18, 2021
An elk got his antlers caught up in a zip line in Youbou over the weekend. (Conservation Officer Service Photo)
Jackie Hildering, whale researcher with the Marine Education and Research Society, and Nanaimo Area Land Trust will present the Return of Giants, a webinar about the humpback whales’ return from the brink of extinction and how boaters can help protect them. (Jackie Hildering/MERS photo taken under Marine Mammal License MML-42)

‘Return of the Giants:’ B.C. getting 2nd chance to coexist with humpback whales

‘Marine Detective’ partners with Nanaimo stewardship group on webinar

Jackie Hildering, whale researcher with the Marine Education and Research Society, and Nanaimo Area Land Trust will present the Return of Giants, a webinar about the humpback whales’ return from the brink of extinction and how boaters can help protect them. (Jackie Hildering/MERS photo taken under Marine Mammal License MML-42)
Jackie Hildering, whale researcher with the Marine Education and Research Society, and Nanaimo Area Land Trust will present the Return of Giants, a webinar about the humpback whales’ return from the brink of extinction and how boaters can help protect them. (Jackie Hildering/MERS photo taken under Marine Mammal License MML-42)

‘Return of the Giants:’ B.C. getting a second chance to coexist with humpback whales

‘Marine Detective’ partners with Nanaimo stewardship group on webinar

Jackie Hildering, whale researcher with the Marine Education and Research Society, and Nanaimo Area Land Trust will present the Return of Giants, a webinar about the humpback whales’ return from the brink of extinction and how boaters can help protect them. (Jackie Hildering/MERS photo taken under Marine Mammal License MML-42)
Some form of large cat (not necessarily the cougar pictured here) was spotted in a private garden in Langley City on Thanksgiving Day. Local residents who saw it, reported to authorities and want to get the word out to others in the area. (Black Press Media files)

Cougar walks away after being hit by driver in Sooke

Roughly 10 to 20 cougars hit by vehicles in CRD each year, says B.C. Conservation

Some form of large cat (not necessarily the cougar pictured here) was spotted in a private garden in Langley City on Thanksgiving Day. Local residents who saw it, reported to authorities and want to get the word out to others in the area. (Black Press Media files)
Between 4,680 and 6,240 metric tonnes of face masks will pollute the world’s oceans this year, according to a new report from Oceans Asia. (Gary Stokes/OceansAsia)

1.56 billion face masks will pollute oceans this year, says Victoria researcher

Each mask takes up to 450 years to break down, according to the OceansAsia report

Between 4,680 and 6,240 metric tonnes of face masks will pollute the world’s oceans this year, according to a new report from Oceans Asia. (Gary Stokes/OceansAsia)
A new database from UBC researchers is offering a window into the diets and lives of North Pacific salmonas they travel thousands of kilometres through different ecosystems and conditions. (Photo courtesy Kenny Regan)

Research tool offers glimpse into the deep-sea lives of salmon

Scientific database fills knowledge gaps of fishes’ diet

A new database from UBC researchers is offering a window into the diets and lives of North Pacific salmonas they travel thousands of kilometres through different ecosystems and conditions. (Photo courtesy Kenny Regan)
B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service stopped an angler who had caught a Wild Steelhead salmon in the Quinsam River in 2019. The angler was fined $1,501 in Campbell River court. Photo Facebook/BCCOS

Illegal wild steelhead catch costs Campbell River angler $1,501

Campbell River court charged fisher under B.C. Sport Fishing Regulations

B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service stopped an angler who had caught a Wild Steelhead salmon in the Quinsam River in 2019. The angler was fined $1,501 in Campbell River court. Photo Facebook/BCCOS
An 18-year old male southern resident killer whale, J34, is stranded near Sechelt in 2016. A postmortem examination suggests he died from trauma consistent with a vessel strike. (Photo supplied by Paul Cottrell, Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

“We can do better” — humans the leading cause of orca deaths: study

B.C. research reveals multitude of human and environmental threats affecting killer whales

An 18-year old male southern resident killer whale, J34, is stranded near Sechelt in 2016. A postmortem examination suggests he died from trauma consistent with a vessel strike. (Photo supplied by Paul Cottrell, Fisheries and Oceans Canada)
B.C. projects targeting the restoration of sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser and Columbia Watersheds will share in $10.9 million of federal funding to protect species at risk. (Kenny Regan photo)

13 projects protecting B.C. aquatic species at risk receive $11 million in federal funding

Salmon and marine mammals expected to benefit from ecosystem-based approach

B.C. projects targeting the restoration of sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser and Columbia Watersheds will share in $10.9 million of federal funding to protect species at risk. (Kenny Regan photo)
Droptine, a 5-by-5 mule deer buck who was poached within Kimberley limits. This photo was taken by Dallas Rehill who said: It deeply saddens me I won’t be able to photograph this beautiful animal in years to come. (Dallas Rehill photo)

Famous Kootenay deer shot by poacher, sparking conservation probe

“Droptine” was shot within Kimberley city limits, after hunting season closed; CO has leads in investigation

Droptine, a 5-by-5 mule deer buck who was poached within Kimberley limits. This photo was taken by Dallas Rehill who said: It deeply saddens me I won’t be able to photograph this beautiful animal in years to come. (Dallas Rehill photo)
The defunct 100-year-old Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River in Washington blocks access by salmon and steelhead to over 500 kilometres of high-quality river habitat, much of it in British Columbia. Photo submitted by Alex Maier.

B.C. outdoor group calls for removal of U.S. dam

Defunct obstruction on Similkameen River cuts off 500 km of Canadian salmon habitat

The defunct 100-year-old Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River in Washington blocks access by salmon and steelhead to over 500 kilometres of high-quality river habitat, much of it in British Columbia. Photo submitted by Alex Maier.
BC Parks Foundation wants to buy West Ballenas Island. (Submitted photo)

One week left to buy last unplucked gem of proposed Salish Sea marine park at a discount price

Foundation wants to buy West Ballenas Island for $1.7M to complete 4,900-hectare marine dream

BC Parks Foundation wants to buy West Ballenas Island. (Submitted photo)
A deer was spotted in October 2020 in Prince Rupert, B.C., with a bright pink yoga ball stuck in its antlers. (Kayla Vickers/Chronicles Of Hammy The Deer Official Page)

Hammy 2.0? Prince Rupert deer spotted with bright pink yoga ball stuck in antlers

The BC Conservation Officer Service is aware of the deer roaming around the city

A deer was spotted in October 2020 in Prince Rupert, B.C., with a bright pink yoga ball stuck in its antlers. (Kayla Vickers/Chronicles Of Hammy The Deer Official Page)
International Bat Week (Oct. 24-31) is a time for people to learn more about the nocturnal creatures and how to protect them. (Photo by Cory Olson)

Holy Halloween, it’s Bat Week!

Bats have been getting a bad rap — B.C. Bat Program looks to change that

International Bat Week (Oct. 24-31) is a time for people to learn more about the nocturnal creatures and how to protect them. (Photo by Cory Olson)
Saanich police are warning residents that rutting season has begun and deer may get their antlers tangled in items left in yards. (Saanich Police Department/Twitter)

Deer with items tangled in antlers spotted in Saanich as rutting season begins

Police, B.C. Conservation Service warn of possibly aggressive bucks through fall

Saanich police are warning residents that rutting season has begun and deer may get their antlers tangled in items left in yards. (Saanich Police Department/Twitter)
A bear similar to this black bear was spotted on Elk Lake Drive on Oct. 20 and is believed responsible for killing a llama in Saanich the night before. (Black Press Media file photo)

Bear spotted several times in Saanich likely to be euthanized

Conservation officers still searching for bear reported near Elk Lake Drive

A bear similar to this black bear was spotted on Elk Lake Drive on Oct. 20 and is believed responsible for killing a llama in Saanich the night before. (Black Press Media file photo)
“People enjoy seeing the bears, but we’re not a zoo. They’ve got to be relocated before they become habituated,” said Port Alice resident Rose Klein Beekman. (BP file photo)

Bears in Port Alice inspiring online ruckus and munching through garbage

It’s a tale as old as, well, garbage bins

“People enjoy seeing the bears, but we’re not a zoo. They’ve got to be relocated before they become habituated,” said Port Alice resident Rose Klein Beekman. (BP file photo)
Former Conservation officer Bryce Casavant takes a cub to a rehabilitation organization on Vancouver Island. (Youtube screenshot)

Union takes former conservation officer back to court

Bryce Casavant ‘absolutely gutted’ over BCGEU’s decision to go back to court

Former Conservation officer Bryce Casavant takes a cub to a rehabilitation organization on Vancouver Island. (Youtube screenshot)