Grizzly kills alpaca, comes back for more

CHERRYVILLE – A property owner and his dogs were able to fend off a Grizzly bear the second night it came around, but were too late to save an alpaca the day before.

"There has been a higher number of bear complaints so far this summer," Lumby Cpl. Henry Proce says.

On July 2, a resident on Old North Fork Road in Cherryville reported a Grizzly had attacked and killed one of his alpacas. The bear returned the next night, but was scared off by the man and his dogs.

Local conservation officers were notified but have not found the bear. 

"Residents in the area should be aware of this bear in case it returns," Proce says.

He says it's fairly uncommon to encounter a Grizzly in the area but "they are around."

Conservation officers say heavy rainfall this summer has left more for the bears to eat in the valley than is usually available.

In general, Proce says both bear and cougar sightings have been on a significant rise in recent years.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca, call (250)309-5230 or tweet @charhelston