Grizzlies: Info for Farmers & Homesteaders

Posted

2026-Oct 17 | With increasing reports of bear activity around West Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay and other Sunshine Coast communities, we want to share some information particularly relevant to those raising livestock & poultry.

There have been concerning community reports of a pony, goats, lambs, turkeys and chickens being killed, with some losses attributed to grizzly bears. While these reports deserve serious attention, we can’t confirm details of individual incidents or which predators were responsible. Conservation officers are monitoring bear activity and responding as necessary.

Here are a few answers to questions we are getting:

#1: How to protect yourself and your animals: Eliminate whatever’s bringing them to your property – pick and clean up all fruit from trees; lock up garbage; Do not compost fruit, proteins or cooked foods/leftovers in back yard composters; remove birdfeeders; lock up animals at night; and of course, always install electric fencing. Yes, it can help with grizzlies.

Noise is also helpful – bear bangers, talk radio playing from barns & coops; Motion-activated alarms/sounds/sprinklers.

#2: Your rights as a farmer: Section 26(2) of BC’s Wildlife Act states that there are protections to a landowner who “hunts or traps wildlife that is on the person’s property and is a menace to a domestic animal or bird.” However, this is NOT unrestricted permission to harm a bear. Other wildlife laws, firearm regulations and public safety requirements continue to apply. If wildlife is killed or wounded in defence of life or property, the incident must be immediately reported to a conservation officer.

#3: What if you’ve had bear activity:
(a) Report livestock attacks, threatening bear behaviour and concerning encounters to the Conservation Officer; and (b) Document livestock losses with photographs, dates, & locations.

#4: Compensation for losses? BC’s Agriculture Wildlife Program offers eligible cattle and sheep producers compensation of up to 80% of the value of livestock killed by predators, including bears, subject to program conditions and available funding. Unfortunately, this program does not generally extend to goats, poultry or horses, and eligibility requirements may exclude some small homesteads.

—————–

We can respect and protect wildlife while also recognizing the very real concerns of farmers and families who have invested time, care and resources into raising animals.

If you’ve experienced an incident, please report it directly to Conservation Officers rather than relying on social media alone. Accurate reporting helps establish what is happening and what action may be needed to protect our communities, livestock and wildlife.