Edition:

Boo's fate in hands of B.C. minister
The Calgary Herald
Thu 06 Jul 2006
Page: B7
Section: City & Region
Byline: Renata D'Aliesio
Source: Calgary Herald

An escaped grizzly will live free in the wild until British Columbia's environment minister decides the bear's fate, a government official said Wednesday.

Environment Minister Barry Penner has asked his staff to weigh the accommodation options available for Boo. Twice last month, the four-year-old male grizzly broke out of his enclosure at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden, B.C.

He was last spotted Tuesday morning, about six kilometres north of the resort's ski area, said Kicking Horse spokesman Michael Dalzell.

Resort workers are trying to track the bear daily by land and air but, unlike last time, Dalzell said Boo won't be returned to the large enclosure without input from the B.C. government.

"Right now, it's status quo," Dalzell said. "We'll keep tracking him until a decision is made."

Returning Boo to Kicking Horse is one of the options being considered, said Gary Glinz, the environment ministry's acting regional manager. The resort is preparing a list of changes it would undertake to ensure the grizzly doesn't break free again.

Another option being weighed is returning Boo to the wild, to an area far from people.

"We're not quite sure what we're going to recommend," Glinz said. "We have to consider what's safe for the bear and what's safe for people."

After spending the bulk of his young life in captivity because his mother was killed by a hunter, grizzly bear specialists have said the greatest challenge Boo faces living on his own is finding food.

Penner is expected to make his decision on Boo's fate early next week.