This bullshit has got to stop. The problem is not the number of bears, but the more difficult problem for humans to objectively deal with, of the numbers of people.

Here in the Kootenays right now, humans are going out into the bush and stripping the Huckleberry patches clean, to export "the product" to Montana-, who no longer have any because of their own such practices, and clear cut forestry.

During this time of the year, Huckleberries are one of the bears most important food sources. When you starve them out in this kind of way, and clearcut other alternative sources, they are going to go somewhere.

What do we expect them to do, engage in a collecive suicide behaviour like dolphins and whales as we clear the world's oceans?

We have become a parasitic species, driven by a parasitic socio-economic system, steadily destroying its own host.

It might seem cruel, but the bear in this story would have been a lot better off its presence in the Kaslo area had immediately been met with humans toting Arwen guns.

We do wild animals no favours when we tolerate them in our settled areas. I for one would rather forgo seeing bears at all rather than have them brave enough to root through my garbage or pick my apples.

We should do everything we can to make them frightened of us, short of killing them....

Right on Coyote! Aside from the disgusting situation that there are no controls whatsoever regarding the harvesting and export of huckleberries to the US, the festival organizer Jim Holland is clearly at fault here. If the bear was seen in the cherry tree prior to the festival opening, the tree should have been either cut down and carted away or stripped of its fruit. In any articles on managing bear/human conflicts this is one one of the first things that is recommended.

Dilema Bears should have room to live/ people use more room every day. Ugly incedent hmmmm In Rep.South Africa my canadian family toured massive game sites (Kruger for instance) and were very pleased and impressed. We were not supposed to exit the vehicle. Around the reserve are high game fences. two of them. the "No Man's Land" between the fences allows further control. I thought so then and I think so now we should start building preserves here or we are going to lose the larger animals. Flat statement, I know and the folks that like to bring their children up to throw food to the bear won't like the fences. Humans are on a roll just now and they are not going to change their behaviour. Fence or shoot

Excellent points both Coyote and Jane. With a province being stripped of trees, huckleberries, and mushrooms for their dollar value, not to mention the dwindling habitat of wild salmon - it really doesn't leave an animal much choice as Coyote suggests. With conservation officers also a dying species in this province it seems they are shooting bears more often now when before they would use anesthesetizing darts and move the bear to different territory. No doubt "the expense" of manpower is a "new era" issue here.

I also loved reading that Whistler wants to have "volunteer" conservation officers. As the corporate cancer grows and intrudes on nature, once again the "poor" volunteer is expected to man the front lines of damage control. Remember when we so valued the caretakers of our forests and our wildlife that we thought it was worth paying them for their hard work and dedication?

Excellent point Jane. The saddest thing about almost all human-bear conflicts/nuisance bears is that the problem is almost entirely preventable. Unpicked fruit, unattended garbage, etc are death sentences for bears. I am sick and tired of people wringing their hands about a problem bear being destroyed at the very same time they engage in very behaviour that led to its destruction. More conservation officers doesn't mean fewer bears destroyed, More communities taking responsibility and being bearsmart like Whistler, West Vancouver and Revelstoke means fewer bears destroyed. Lets get on with it.

Thanks for the comment Ron I needed a little humour after reading this article. I grew up in a very small town and as a teenager hunted and shot animals, legally and for food. I will never in my life do so again, even though I eat meat I won't partake in or witness the killing of an animal.

You read stories about the "old days" when ranchers and politicians did things like place a bounty on the head of cougar's or timber wolves and you think "I sure am glad we're past those times". When you hear about the total number of bears killed in BC in a year it makes you realize we still live in those times.

What bothers me is the type of person who sees the bear, knows it's a difficult situation, and entices the bear with food. That's precisely why these animals have lost their fear of humans in the first place.

Half an hour ago I started up Summerside Lane in Deep Cove and encountered a bear in someone's front yard, trying to open the lid of a big garbage container. I about-faced pretty smartly and warned a couple of people about its presence, but that's all. Here in the Cove we manage to co-exist with bears fairly well, and I didn't want to raise an alarm that would get this bear killed. But it's probably only a matter of time.

It's not just the humans' fault. Bears are half-smart. They are smart enough to know that humans have got food. They are not smart enough to know that we have guns. Back in my farming youth in Kelowna, we'd endure the occasional bear assault on the apple crop as the cost of doing business. We'd fire the odd warning shot near them once in a while to put the fear in them, so they never came near our house or our various large dogs. I never felt paranoid of bears, but there was respect. I was very pissed off when my cousin decided to hunt a bear. What a waste! And the meat tastes like crap!

Ron, I agree with you that the bear meat taste is pretty bad. However, I've got friends that love the meat and they've told me it just depends on what the bear has been eating that affects the meat's flavor. Can't believe that there were some air heads that were actually throwing flowers on the water to the bear. Takes all kinds...

i live in bear country, it's not unusual for a bear to take stroll through my back yard, i keep a bit of bird seed out but not enough to encourage a regular find, i keep my garbage cans in a shed and i pick what ever fruit i have growing as soon as it ripens, give these poor creatures a chance to survive, between dwindling food supplies for these animals, and territory we are going to see even more killings of these beautiful animals. i met a young man last year who dropped out of his course at university he had to take something else he was studying to be consevation officer but, there were so few students and jobs in the province, he felt it was fruitless, we are literaly down to a handful of conservation officers for the entire province, this is a tragedy can someone clarify that only a small handfull of staff man our provincial parks at any one time? i heard of 2 officers for all of Garibaldi? this goverments efforts in conservation management are nothing short of a disgrace volunteers to protect our richest asset?? good god!

Thanks to Bill Metcalfe for the most informative account I've yet read of this sordid event. As one of the 1,700 in attendance, I can attest that it was pretty shocking to watch the injured bear drag itself across the perimeter fence and into the lake. But it was also pretty shocking to experience the angry reactions of many in the crowd, particularly the finger pointing and blaming (mostly in the direction of the RCMP officers). Suddenly everyone was an expert on what should have been done and who was at fault. Now, I make no claim of expertise in bear management or public safety, but it does seem clear to me that this kind of conflict is not avoidable as long as we humans continue our steady encroachment into wild lands. Yes, we can -- and should -- be as careful and conscious as possible about mitigating our impact on wildlife of all kinds, and many other commentators have noted the challenges involved. I don't think it's possible, however, to wish away our deleterious impact with pious hopes about no more bears being killed. In my opinion, acknowledging our species' impact on other species, including eating them as food and killing them when they threaten us, is an important step. So, I think Bill Metcalfe makes an important point about the significance of having 1,700 witnesses of this sad event. I just hope that at least some of them will find themselves pondering the part we all play in creating the conditions that led to the killing in this particular case, since I believe that this acknowledgement is needed as we search for realisic, ethical, and humane solutions to a complex and difficult problem.

There needs to be an enquiry on this incident. Wittness say the bearhe bear was killed with a hand-gun while he was eating fruit in a tree 50 feet from the festival. All of it is digusting and should never have happened. A call for change in in order. Contact Wayne McCrory for information of how you can help...Thanx to all the caring spirits in our world...Peace...Ellie

Pushing past the security people so the kids can get a closer look...throwing flowers to show the bear their love...really, such severely disturbed and/or retarded people shouldn't be allowed out of the institution without a care-giver to supervise and control them. The bear doesn't give the first part of a fruity fart for you facile "love". He's there for his belly. I'm dead against trophy hunting, and I don't want "guides" taking those with the money to pay out to the remote beaches to slaughter bears who are doing nothing more than scavenge their food. I detest those who kill just to have a "prize" to hang on their wall...use a camera. But I have as much scorn for those moronic feel-gooders who put their kids at risk and who did more to guarantee this poor bear's death than the cops or the guy with the gun. We have bears here in Tahsis. I have looked out my kitchen window and watched a bear teach her baby about the glories of a clover salad...I didn't send my two year old grandaughter out with the blue cheese dressing, I lifted her to the window to watch and told her bears bite. When we go blackberry picking we take the dogs and we stay well away from the bear highways coming up the bank from the river. The little ones holler "we're coming!", the dogs romp and bark, and bear has plenty of time to vacate...if we see even a hint of black fur WE vacate!! We can co-exist with them, but only if we remember that , for them, there is no negotiation, it's up to us. Maundering on all touchy-feely is just an attempt by a pathetic soul to try to grab some of the spotlight. I guess if I was a nice person I'd feel as sorry for the idiots as I feel for the bear, but I'm not very nice, I've seen too many animals killed for no good reason at all. Ridiculous behaviour, including improper disposal of garbage and allowing fruit to fall to the ground as invitation is more to blame than the animals. Our stupidity is costing our grandchildren the chance to intelligently enjoy a natural treasure.

It isn't the bears that are a problem. It is people who are the problem. We encroach at will for our pleasure and can't understand why a bear would dare reclaim territory.

to build on the last comment, it is ignorant people who are the problem. the persons in the story who threw rock at the constable were not able to grasp the fact that they were involved in the bears death. we are all guilty of harming the enviroment, let he who is innocent cast the first stone. unfortunatlly the only practical solution to the problem is a darwinistic one. i cannot bring myself to accept that.

Who gets to label a bear a nuisance? A guy with a gun, a concert promoter who hasn't got proper liability insurance? Did anyone do an assessment of this property before the concert or was it simply a nice place to put 1,700 paying customers. I may be wrong, but it would appear that now dead bear was minding its own business until the mob of humans showed up and ruined his meal.

Would we have all this moaning and hand wringing if instead of a bear, it had been a rat? Guess not, eh? I mean rats are rats. Nasty things. Although they're probably more intelligent, they're certainly not as nice to look at as are bears. We encroach on the territory of all creatures. Bears, rats, and cockroaches. Some of them we kill without a second thought. Some are apparently more cuddley than others. If you don't like living in a world where humans kill animals then the obvious solution for you is to go into the bush somewhere and commit suicide. Your body (after it gets a little ripe) will make a fine meal for a hungry bear.

What a sad story...it leads me to believe that a lot of people have less intelligence than a bear.Invariably in a human/animal interface the animal will lose its territory or its life...as Coyote aptly puts it," we are a parasitic species"It is we who are eating and killing opur planet.JF also makes a good point about rats.........these same pathetic people who feed bears and throwm stones at those forced to kill them probably enjoy the panic stricken death throes of a fish on the end of a line.If we keep going the way we are the only saviour for a reasable balance of existence betwwen man and beast would be a severe drop in man's population. Our only hope is education and a society that really cares...is there enough time? I really wish that fish could scream.

Wow Jf, you are just what this world needs. If it's in the way shoot the fucker, get the oil (or whatever you're after), and to hell with the consequences. Sorry for the cheap shot about oil, but you sound so much like George W., especially your anger at people who question why killing is always the only means of resolving conflict. BTW, while the idea of offering up my dead remains for wildlife to feed on has a certain appeal that you probably don't appreciate, I doubt even a hungry bear would want much of a stinking human body. But the rats, yes those dirty, rotten, lousy rats would be onto me even before I ripened, acting like the good capitalists they are.

Mmmm...fish.

"BTW, while the idea of offering up my dead remains for wildlife to feed on has a certain appeal that you probably don't appreciate, I doubt even a hungry bear would want much of a stinking human body." Oh, I appreciate it. Go for it. Bears really do like rotten meat. People who anthromorphize animals have a problem with reality. And who said anything about oil? I think you missed the point. Who decides that one species of animal is worth more than another? Oh right, movie stars and other such worthies. Judging from your comments you seem to fit in well with the group.

I caught a mouse on sticky mouse tape I got at Revy and felt sooo bad I spent half an hour freeing it in the alleyway. It was struggling so much, and it actually looked cute up close. I felt like I had just attempted murder... if I had been at this concert I would have LOST MY MIND... ugh, Coyote said it- we ARE parasitic.

Further to Ellie Archer's reference to Wayne McCrory, he has a great Op/Ed piece about this subject published in today's Nelson Daily News.

''Who decides that one species of animal is worth more than another,'' asks JF. Good question JF. Why is it that we tend to think humans are worth more than another species? I think that is what the real question is all about. As for the shot of oil, I got your point and I was making an attempt to tie your logic to another whizz-bang popularly known as Dubya, who apparently doesn't think a litle lie about WMDs in Iraq and a mounting body count should deter his dreams of extracting natural resources from that same country. I realize I'm asking you to really stretch your imagination to grasp the parallel between dead bears at a music festival and dead people in an oil-rich country, but do try. Guess you could call all of them collateral damage. I am a meat eater and in that sense do rate some animals better than others. I have no problem with people who hunt to eat or cloth themselves, an occupation still considered normal in much of northern Canada, but I am also a human being who understands that this earth has been just about destroyed by the attitude you express that if it's a nuisance get rid of it. It's that frontier mentality that just lingers on waiting for evolution to find a better fit. I can only hope it's quick.

Dear FiMax, I think I love you(very respectfully, I promise). You have such perfect instincts. I wonder how hard it would be to invent sticky bear tape? Sticky hunter tape? Even a hunter would look cute in the alley peeling off tape.

We're not really parasitic, Fi, we're just ubiquitous. Where's a poor bear to go?

Hi Fi Your mouse story reminds me of the other day when I caught my cat (on film, like Lynndie England) dispatching a bird in our hallway. He was gloating over the cold-blooded murder. Naturally we had him arraigned on charges of birdicide. He may have faced a severe penalty but was able to argue cultural differences based on his disadvantaged background.

Severe penalty in Canada?? I doubt it.... even for birdicide...

Everything that's been said about panhandling bears also applies to panhandling people: it's the ones who feed 'em who ensure that they stay in a state of unhealthy and dangerous dependency. The best thing you can do for a mooching bear (or person) is to let them know that a bold begging lifestyle is not good for anyone.

Perhaps we should shower the homeless with petals to send them our love!

Petals won't do it. We should hang a BBQ chicken in a dumpster, and when the homeless crawl in to get it, we slam it shut and ship it to Alberta, where they know how to treat the poor. They get drunk and throw pennies at them as they sleep.

Oh, but be sure to take away the chicken before they eat any. Don't want them developing any unhealthy dependencies, now, do we?

I am saddened snd sickened by this incident.Once again human ignorance and arrogance has cost an innocent being it's life.All over North America where there are bears,there are groups of volunteers working to educate people about bears.Unfortunately the state and government agencies "in charge"of wildlife have their own agenda,which usually does not involve the best interest of the wildlife, except as a profitable resource.They only educate the public when it suits their purpose and give precious little support to groups who's sole purpose is to erradicate ignorance and promote peaceful co-existence.

I think we need to lighten up a bit Remember the cartoon Yogi Bear was based on a bear that had human interface experiences, this is nothing new. It is very frightening that one conservation officer is expected to serve such a large area. I can recall that there used to be a trap brought to an location where a nuisance bear was visiting and the bear moved. With an increase in development in rural areas and a decrease in provincial government employees it has become the "norm" that citizens are instructed to destroy bears that have become a problem. We as humans move here from the city and think we have the right to store garbage where we like, not realizing we've moved into another creature's homeland. Evidently bers have different tastebuds , some like garbage and compost while others like fruit trees. It seems like these untended fallow trees in Kslo Bay should either be tended or removed in any event but I wonder if the same people who reacted so strongly against the shooting of the bear would also protest these trees being cut down. We can't have it all. Of course seeing an animal die violently is a horrible experience. Don't visit a packing plant or commercial chicken farm, its not pretty.Not seeing the violence that is part of eating meat I suppose makes it more acceptable if you can separate things in your mind in that fashion. There was no right and wrong in the Kaslo bear incident. Assigning blame only makes us take sides and doesn't get at the root of the problem. We need to controlthe disposal of our unwanted or unused things We need more conservation officers We need to accept we live in the forest and all buy into keepig our communities unattractive to wild animals. Education and demonstration are the first crucial steps. Take it to the political level and ask for support for public involvment programs to deal with fallow fruit trees and incentives for people to store garbage and animal feed wisely.

The bear is only doing what is natural to it - trying to feed, and the police officer was only doing his job - protecting the public. I can't help but think how the crowds' attitude toward the bear (and the officer) would have changed if it attacked one of them or their children... So many people have become "Disneyfied" and think that bears are like Winnie the Pooh and forget they are wild animals and are not at all interested in hugs from humans - they can kill if they feel threatened. Certainly it would have been nice if the bear would not have been destroyed, but as was mentioned by someone else, the jazz fest wasn't going to shut down and there was a safety issue, whether people realized it or not.

Except for one thing, Barry- the jazz fest was being held in BEAR territory- we can't stamp our way all over the earth and then cry "ah- it's attacking me!" when faced with wildlife, after we've encrouched on their space. Mother bears protect their cubs, too- so if a bear attacks a human who shouldn't be there she is only doing HER job, right? And this bear was only eating. The organizers of the fest were WRONG and selfish, and ignorant. Typically human, of course.

So Mama where should humans live and recreate. The festival is not in the wilderness it is a short skip to downtown Kaslo. I think we are an animal species too that needs to gather in tribal form and take up space. I know the festival organizers are not greedy, or selfish, this is a volunteer non profit event...not nice to assume

Dear Tyee, Much has been written on the killing of a young black bear at the Kaslo Jazz festival in British Columbia last August. I wonder if the questioning of whom, how, where and why it was done has a time line, and perhaps it is time to move on. The death of the innocent can move the masses now into an action stage. This is when positive change can occur. The brutal killing of this gentle bear was extremely disturbing to all of us especially to the citizens of Kaslo. It makes me wonder if perhaps it was necessary for the world to witness this disturbing event in order to expose the truth behind wildlife management in the province of B.C. and Alberta. Question now is what is available to us as a companionate species to make our impact minimal on the other species as we go about sharing a world together? This bear happened to be killed in Kaslo B.C. but the reality is it could have just as easily been almost any community in Canada who has not yet implemented a “Bear-Smart” program. This is an educational program available to be the next step for a community which has determined to be dedicated to creating a bear safe environment and ensuring a more harmonious living arrangement for both bears and people. With the support of the provincial government, municipal government, and especially all the local citizens of a community… the death of bears for just being bears can one day be rare and far between. Thank you for your time… …Ellie Archer

Humans live and "recreate"? wherever they want, and we are the only species that kills for no reason other than that- to kill. WE are the problem. It's not an assumption, it's a clear observation. If there is a bear there, it's the wilderness; think about it.

Why do people think that Bears are bad? They are afraid of people so why shot them for fun? I'll tell you why because they can and some evil people do it for the fun of it. People like the on who had shot the bear are crull and don't consider how they would feel if they where the bear. how would you like to be minding your on business and get shot? Not good and for what "FUN"? Well let me say that what happened was not fun and if i saw that bear run out because it got shot i would start to cry! AND I NEVER CRY but this is inhumane i'm only 13 turning 14 and i know more about animals then most people. shoting things for fun is WRONG and needs TO STOP NOW! Thanks for listening

If there is a bear there then we are the problem and Lindz is write it is wrong to hunt things for fun. i do think the bear could come indangered fast so we need to keep an opened mind about what is going on in the wilderness people with guns should consider useing them on small animals and even then only a mounth at a time. Animals can wipe out of existance pritty quick so please save the wilderness and the animals that inhabite it.