The rare soul living near the BC Highway is a matter of concern, anxiety, because the word of its existence spreads

Shelley Lindas has long dreamed of seeing a kermode bear cub in a person.

A amateur wildlife photographer located in Terrace near BC’s North Coast, she travels hiking backwoods most of her free time and camps with camera equipment at a place for hours at a time, waiting to catch a glimpse.

But her goal of looking at a rare, light-folded version of a black bear came almost accidentally because she was driving with the highway and saw the cub with her family away from the road.

“They were sitting right on the highway,” Lindas said. “I get abnormally excited when I see any wildlife … but I was excited by the chart.”

Kermodes, also known as Spirit Beer, have a sate of black bears that live in the north and central coast areas of the BC. Their unique color is caused by a recurrent gene passed through the black bear. British Columbia’s official animal, A recent survey It is estimated that their population is less than 500, making them one of the rare bears’ views in the world.

For generations, first nation Limited information about bear They will be targeted to hunt and trap out of anxiety, but in recent years some groups have taken up their existence as a way to increase widespread awareness about the need for ecosystem management on the coast of BC.

And about the debate, when it is best to handle it to many dreams of seeing an animal, it is playing in the short, where many people are seeing the cub, while others are worrying about posting photos and will put the animal at risk by attracting many people in the field.

Concern on habituality

Lindas, who grew up in the northwest and whose father was a hunter and trapper, did not see his first Kirmod until 2023 after years of investigation in the region. Since then, she has managed to track some bears and document them through them. Instagram account And a calendar she sells locally.

But, she said, she usually does not share her photos until she is convinced that the bears have gone away from the area he saw.

He said, “I always wait till August, before I post photos, and I am bombing by other wildlife photographers, where I take them.”

“If there are friends in my area, I will tell them, but I try to keep it calm.”

He made an exception to post the picture of the cub because there were already many other visions and posts on social media that “everyone knew.”

Indeed, a search through local Facebook groups reveals many photos and videos of the bear, with his mother and two black bears brothers and sisters.

The comments of the local people along with those posts are concerned about many people who are very close to the bear, a concern that has been enhanced by the Protection Officer Service, who has given a message that has been urged to replace the bear and do nothing – such as feeding – which can motivate them to human contact.

“It is natural for people to be curious. If they see a white bear on the roadside, I think,” the SGT said. Micah Nerler of Terrace Conservation Officer Service. “We just encourage people if they see the bear, or the bear in general … they proceed quite quickly.”

He said that the windows will be rolled to noise to reduce some of the most behavior related behavior and attracted the attention of the bear, as well as anything that can lead them to the highway or others.

He said that as long as there was no report of people feeding the bear, he is worried that it would become a major risk as at least more and more tourists came to the region in the region.

He said, “Essentially some passengers throw food towards some of these bears to get a better picture of them,” he said.

Even without food, he said, frequent vehicle stops are used for traffic, causing them to be more likely to be a hit or, “in the worst position”, crawling on vehicles, forced to kill them by the Protection Officer Service.

Hundreds of black bears are killed annually

Provincial statistics Each year hundreds of black bears are destroyed as they are considered a risk for humans, with more than 8,000 over a interval of 14 years from 2011 to 2024. Statistics are not particularly placed for keemods, but it is illegal to hunt rare white bears, $ 100,000 and/or in jail with a one -year penalty.

Lindas said that it is important for the members of the public to understand that although the pictures she takes, she looks in such a way that she is close and personal with the bear, she uses special equipment that allows her to zoom in and increase images from great distance.

“This is a heavy, heavy editing,” he said. “This is really disappointing when you are giving them a respectable distance, but then people pull up, like, with their iPhone two feet, they are bending out of the window, taking out the animal.”

He encouraged people to get acquainted with animal behavior and to follow the advice of wildlife authorities, when to stay away while facing any wild animals.

“You are enjoying animals (when you get closer) but what you don’t feel, you are now doing them to die because you are training them to make them habit.”