A recent report by non-profit group the Fur-Bearers (the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals) shows Nelson and Castlegar are two of the deadliest cities for black bears in British Columbia.

In 2022, Nelson ranked second in the province with 21 black bears being killed by conservation officers. Castlegar was third with 14. CJLY reached out to conservation officers in Nelson for a comment but didn't receive a response before publication.

Over 500 black bears were killed by conservation officers in BC. Nearly 4,300 have been killed since 2015. At 21, last year was the highest number deaths in Nelson over that time period. There several reasons causing these deaths.

“Black bears are often killed when they begin accessing garbage and spend time in human-dense areas seeking unnatural food sources from unsecured attractants,” says Aaron Hofman, Director of Advocacy and Policy at The Fur-Bearers.

Professional biologist, conservationist and environmental advocate Wayne McCrory joined CJLY to discuss these alarming statistics. Listen to the story below: