Letter to residents from Wildsafe BC Coordinator Re Bear SightingDear City of Rossland Residents: I have received recent reports of a young mother grizzly and her two yearling cubs in lower Rossland, near Redstone Resort and on the Wagon Road. I have personally seen this bear and have sent pictures to the Conservation Officer, as well as to a local grizzly bear expert, and the consensus is that she is a light brown coloured black bear with two yearling cubs. Short of examining her claws, there is no comprehensive way to identify her. However – what type of bear she is, is less concerning than the fact that she is VERY PROTECTIVE of her cubs! She has already bluffed and huffed at a few bikers on the Wagon Road and she is NOT afraid of humans. All three of these bears are habituated to human food sources and spent most of last fall in fruit trees and wandering throughout lower Rossland and Pinewood getting into whatever they could find to eat. Her maternal loop includes a path that runs along the Wagon Road, up past Redstone into lower Rossland, and across the highway and back down through Pinewood and the Cemetery. As such, please take the following measures:
· If you are hiking or biking in and around Redstone, PLEASE make noise and do not ride with headphones on; and, · Most importantly do not approach her or get between her and her cubs. If she becomes aggressive or damages property or pets please call the conservation office at 1-877-952-7277. On another note – Please keep your pets on a leash – I have had reports of two dogs chasing a young cow moose down mainstreet a few days ago and it is illegal for pets to harass wildlife. So let’s all do our part to keep wildlife wild and our communities safe. Here’s hoping for another great summer like last year! Desiree Profili, BSC, Rossland/Trail WildSafeBC coordinator 250-231-7996
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