Third grizzly bear from same family is killed in B.C. after failed relocation

NELSON — A third grizzly bear from the same family group has been killed after it was relocated away from Nelson, B.C., but then turned up with its sister at a recreational area and showed a “high degree of comfort” around people.

Conservation officers say in a statement that the male yearling turned up at a beach, campground and golf course at Christina Lake, and was killed on Thursday after it was seen eating garbage at a busy camping resort.

The bear and its sister had been relocated more than 50 kilometres from Nelson in southeast B.C. on Aug. 14, after their mother and another injured bear associated with the family were killed by conservation officers.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says a female yearling, the family’s sole survivor, has been relocated away from Christina Lake and is being monitored by officers.

The service had said two weeks ago that the mother bear had been killed after showing a “significant loss of fear of people,” repeatedly entering residential properties to raid fruit trees and barbecues.

The service said the other injured bear was killed on veterinary advice, and while the remaining two yearlings were collared and relocated to a mountainous area, they turned up at busy Christina Lake, 30 kilometres away, within days.

The behaviour of the male yearling made “subsequent relocation, or rehabilitation, not viable,” the service said.

The service said on Thursday killing any bear is an “unfortunate outcome” that they work hard to avoid.

“Too often, bears become food-conditioned because attractants are not properly secured,” it said in a social media post.

“With fall approaching, it is more important than ever to secure attractants and help reduce human-wildlife conflicts. We all have a role to play.”

The service said the male yearling was killed as a matter of public safety.

The same mother bear and a different set of offspring had previously been relocated from Nelson in 2023, the service said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2026.