SEPTEMBER 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
35 Bear kills cause grief for Island sheep producers
Losses underscore need for promised compensation program
by BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER
METCHOSIN – A rogue black bear that was killing sheep in the Metchosin area on Vancouver Island for the past two months has been shot and killed by a conservation officer, ending a two-month rampage that claimed more than 22 sheep. The 300-lb. male bear, estimated at four to five years old killed at least 11 sheep at John and Lorraine Buchanan’s Parry Bay sheep farm alone. Some sheep went missing and sometimes the only remains found were bones, making it hard to confirm how the sheep died. Traps, snares and cages
were tried – and failed. The bear did not return to its kills, it avoided human contact and carrion birds quickly took care of the remains. The bear was killing in the daytime as well as night and was finally spotted in a pasture with sheep and called in to conservation officers before noon, August 20. Conservation officer Peter Pauwels attended, identified the bear in a field hunting sheep, and shot it. Wool was found in the bear’s stomach. The past 20 years saw cougar become a problem predator for Vancouver Island sheep producers but in the last five years, bears have also become a concern. Last summer, there were a few kills by bears but this year they’ve been more problematic. Bears are not an unusual sight in Metchosin and the municipal office of the District of Metchosin but human-bear conflicts have been increasing across the province. Residents are urged to report bears and remove
or fence off bear attractants, like garbage and ripened fruit. Although the bears reported are generally a nuisance and unafraid of humans, the Metchosin bear retained some wild instincts by avoiding human contact while also appearing unafraid. Instead of fruit, it developed a taste for mature sheep. “We would find a sheep
splayed on its back, the bear would go for the udder, disembowel her and eat the flesh, then move on,” says John Buchanan, adding that it preferred mature ewes. The Buchanans have the largest sheep flock on Vancouver Island, utilizing small leased pastures around the region, and providing infrastructure to the sheep community by running a small inspected abattoir. Buchanan has also served on a livestock protection program advisory committee for the BC Cattlemen’s Association, representing sheep producers. Conservation officers
recommend using guardian dogs and electric fencing, keeping sheep enclosed in a barn at night, and keeping flocks closer to home to prevent predation. Some of these management changes may be implemented in the long term, but it would not be easy. “We would have to quit
farming,” says Lorraine Buchanan. “We rely on the grass for our sheep, and our barn is filled with hay at this time of year.” “Bushy areas are important
to the grazing plan,” adds John Buchanan. He says guardian dogs would be difficult to manage in the semi-developed area of Metchosin.
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What the bear doesn’t finish, the birds do, making it tough for conservation officers to confirm sheep kills. BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER PHOTO
The unpredictable nature of the bear compounded the situation, making prevention measures difficult. The BC Sheep Federation had announced at last year’s annual meeting that a predator compensation program would be put in place in 2017. However, the provincial election and the wildfires have put the predator compensation program on the back burner. It is hoped that the new government will implement the program. BC Ministry of Agriculture staff are reviewing the current suite of programs to determine what options are available for the Buchanans. Producers encountering
predator kills of their livestock
should call the Ministry of Environment RAPP Line at 1- 877-952-7277 or #7277 on the Telus Mobility network. To report a livestock predator loss by wolves or coyotes, call 1-844-852-5788 and the
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