iN NUMBERS: The dark side of wildlife interactions in Kamloops, Okanagan

Spring is here and wildlife has begun to emerge and thrive, so now seems like an appropriate time to get into all the grim aspects of animal control and human/wildlife conflict around Kamloops and the Okanagan.

Lucky for you we’ve got the numbers from previous years:

• 638: Black bear reports in Central Okanagan in 2024.
• 303: Black bears killed by conservation officers in Central Okanagan in 2024.
• 350: Calls to Kelowna litter crews to deal with dead animals each year on average.
• 21,000: Eggs addled by the Okanagan Valley Goose Management Program in the last 16 years.
• 1,000: Geese a year are prevented from hatching each year, roughly.
• 32: Rattlesnake reports in Okanagan-Similkameen in 2024.
• 450: Rattlesnakes killed by cars in the White Lake Basin of the South Okanagan each year, roughly.
• 82: Dogs impounded by the RDCO in 2022, don’t worry most of them were returned to their owners.
• 72: Garbage bins tagged in Kamloops to warn people they would attract bears.
• 513: Black bears reported in Kamloops in 2024.

Data from WildSafeBC, City of Kelowna and Okanagan Valley Goose Management Program.