Sayward is on alert after a mother grizzly and two cubs were spotted near the north Island village.
The Conservation Officer Service said it’s closely monitoring the family unit and has talked with children at Sayward School and other residents about safety precautions.
There have been no reports of conflict, the service said in a statement. Specifics and locations of the sightings were not disclosed.
The service encouraged people to ensure attractants such as garbage, pet food and birdseed are securely stored so bears and other wildlife can’t access them.
The Environment Ministry said provincial wildlife biologists have been notified about the grizzlies.
Though it has not been confirmed, the grizzlies could be the same bears photographed last August in the Sayward area.
A Courtenay photographer captured a mother and cubs grazing in a meadow with a small herd of Roosevelt elk. The bears shied away when the elk cows with calves moved toward the grizzlies.
Although several male grizzlies have swum over to Sayward from the mainland in recent years, the female grizzly and cubs were considered a first. That’s led some experts to believe that the large carnivores could be establishing more permanent roots on the Island.
The ministry said last August it believed the cubs were yearlings born in 2023.
The crossings in Johnstone Strait between Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island and the mainland range from three to 4.5 kilometres, and many animals do it by island hopping. Some of the closest Island landings are around Sayward.
The village has had its share of grizzly encounters over the years. In June 2020, there were reports of as many as seven grizzlies in the area, including a 225-kilogram male that was seen grazing across the road from the Sayward School and swimming in a pond in the village.
In late May, a grizzly with an ear tag swam from Powell River to Texada Island, where it remains. Conservation officers are watching the four-year-old male bear, which the province says won’t be relocated because two previous attempts were unsuccessful.
It’s hoped the grizzly will swim to another location.
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