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OKANAGAN SUN head coach Shane Beatty did a great job in his first season at the helm, says club president Paul Carson.
THE COMBINATION of exercise workouts combined with boxing drills is proving popular with a new gym, 30 Minute Hit, located in downtown Kelowna.
THE ZOLAS musical duo believe young people have the power to affect change when united, and a good song can be a rallying cry around a uniting cause.
A17
83 serving our community 1930 to 2013
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THURSDAY October 31, 2013 The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper www.kelownacapnews.com
Bomb false alarm in Lake Country
▼ WILDLIFE
Wolf sightings becoming more common Judie Steeves STAFF REPORTER
Not so long ago it was accepted that there was no wolf population in the Okanagan, but that’s certainly not the case today as wolves have been sighted close to human populations in the valley this fall. Wildlife biologist Brian Harris with the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Ministry in Penticton, says he estimates, based on both anecdotal and scientific data, that there are 80 to 100 wolves in this area. As a result, an open season for hunting wolves, with a bag limit of three, was opened by the province in 2012. Harris noted that prior to their return to the Okanagan, there were populations of wolves all around the valley and those have now ‘spilled over’ into the Okanagan. Two weeks ago, a forestry crew member out of Merritt who was working in the forest near that community during the day with her two dogs, found herself being hunted by a pack of wolves who surrounded her. She yelled at them and convinced them to back off and her dogs went after them, but it proved to be fatal for one of them. His attack permitted her to reach her truck, along with both dogs, but one of the dogs did not survive. The incident serves as a warning to people either working or recreating in the wild around the Okanagan, to be prepared to meet wolves. “There’s no reason to panic,” Harris emphasized, but he said people should be prepared to defend themselves from an attack. Wolves normally prey on deer, moose, elk and smaller mammals, including pets. Even mature bull moose are vulnerable to predation by wolves in winter, he explained. They lose bone mass and nutrition to the growth of large antlers in late summer and early fall, causing a temporary osteoporosis and brittle bones. Then they go into the rut in October, during which they don’t eat, so by the time winter sets in, they’re not in good condition.
Jennifer Smith STAFF REPORTER
A suspicious package had Okanagan RCMP members back on the bomb beat Wednesday morning, trying to track down whether the beeping postal workers heard in one package was a bomb. It was early Wednesday, when RCMP members were called to the postal office at 3211 Berry Rd. to determine whether a beeping package was dangerous after postal workers noticed it while sorting mail. “The employees moved the parcel to the outside rear of the post office prior to emergency services attending,” said a statement from Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Wade Seversen yesterday. After investigating the book-sized package, the officers determined it was simply an alarm clock. But Kelowna RCMP released the statement to remind anyone finding a suspicious package to clear the area and leave the parcel where it’s found in order to avoid setting
JENNIFER SMITH/CAPITAL NEWS
CREATIVE SPOOKINESS…Kelowna’s North End, like many Central Okanagan
neighbourhoods tonight, will be home to some spooky business for trick-or-treaters such as these ghoulish and funny creations.
See Alarm A11
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