Two charged in July death of grizzly bear on Texada Island in B.C.

TEXADA ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Two people have been charged with the killing of a grizzly bear in July on British Columbia’s Texada Island.

The Conservation Officer Service of B.C. says in a social media post that both people charged are residents of the island in the Strait of Georgia about 200 kilometres northwest of Vancouver and are due in court Oct. 14.

They are accused of failing to promptly report the wounding and killing of the bear, whose behaviour had divided residents on the island over what should be done with him.

The grizzly was reported shot and wounded by police on July 14 and was confirmed to be the same animal that stalked people and harassed livestock in the weeks leading up to its death.

The service said in June that the bear had already been moved twice from Sunshine Coast in the months leading up to his death, and a bear trap meant had arrived on the island the day after the discovery of its body.

The bear had touched off debate among the island’s residents before its death, with some in favour of having it relocated while others wanted it killed or left alone.

The Tla’amin First Nation in Powell River had issued a statement that the community was “deeply saddened” by the killing, as work had been underway to relocate the animal before its body was discovered.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2025.