Page A14 Friday, July 28, 2017
Salmon Arm Observer/Shuswap Market News
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Return of the big bears ShuSwap OutdOORS Hank Shelley A couple of grizzly bear cubs were wandering about the dog park in Sicamous last week. It was even faster for the moccasin telegraph to take hold, and spread the word that there was a young grizzly roaming about near Owl Head trailer park and Kerr Road north of Sicamous. Seems the big bruins are moving in closer to populated areas. There are a couple reasons for this. The first is the hot, dry weather causing the berry crops to dry up. The second is a growing number of grizzlies now inhabiting the Shuswap-Okanagan area. Numbers show 16,000 bears in the province. There is a healthy population of the big bruins closer than we
think. Historically for our area, many sightings and encounters have happened in the Malakwa region, most particular about the former John Senn farm, where John had to shoot a bear that had come into the barn after a calf. We saw a mom and cubs, rolling around those big, white hay bales, while the babies scrambled in after mice. According to all reports, grizzly bear numbers are definitely on the rise, and provocations and encounters are as well. Last week, there was a young grizzly chasing after a chap on his 18-speed bike at Radium. Fortunately for the rider, a fellow in a truck cut the bear off. You’d think the guy on the bike may have had some garlic sau-
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sage or other goody human activity such in his pack. as logging, mining, (If you ever travel recreation, ATV’s, Barb Brouwer down Radium way, lodges, road buildjust down the high- ing, heli hiking and relentless answers it way a ➧piece, there’s➧ getting land clearing, a campground/great puts pressure ➧ storytelling with a purposeon the restaurant they over bear’s resulting ➧ a where watchdog theturf, powerful serve up the biggest on more human-bear ➧ telling the whole story platter of bacon/ conflict. ➧ essential to democracy eggs/pancakes around As well, the sub➧ committed telling the truth called, you guessed it, to ject of hunting these ➧ creating a forum for public debate a Grizzly campground.) animals brings out The big have storm of emotion for ➧ anbears independent voice now swam across the many folks. getting answers The Fish and Wildnorth coast, over to Vancouver Island. A life branch views the #JOURNALISMIS large grizzly was shot grizzly as a premier JOURNALISMIS.ca while walking down or top game animal. the main street of a Under strict regulavillage close to Port tion, a certain numHardy three years ber can be harvested in the spring and fall ago. Randall Warnock hunts. About 386 was attacked by a bears are taken in young grizzly last both seasons, in an week on the mid estimated population coast while strolling of 16,000 animals. the beach in search of In a recent poll of fishing floats. He sus- B.C. residents, a large tained major slashes percentage of those to his leg before the polled oppose this bear ran off. hunt. Viewing tourHistorically, the ism in the Great Bear bears need large rang- Rain Forest and other es to roam in. Dom- locations has worked inant big bears will very well. Is it the answer? chase off younger animals, which in turn, The future about find new habitat. the grizzly is in our With increased hands.
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