Kicking Horse Mountain Resort said it took action for "the safety of the bear and the public."

Kerry Williamson, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, August 23, 2006

All he has now are the memories -- and perhaps longing looks through the fence.

Boo, the grizzly bear with the wanderlust, has been castrated and will spend the rest of his life in captivity following a decision by the B.C. government to leave him at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, near Golden.

The decision comes six weeks after the grizzly returned after his second escape from his enclosure, and despite myriad calls for Boo to be released into the wild.

The thought is that Boo's desire for freedom will disappear along with his desire to hook up with the opposite sex.

But environmentalists question the decision, and say Boo's castration and continued imprisonment is the end of a tragic tale that should never have happened.

"For the safety of the bear and the public, we decided to take action or we would have the same problem every mating season," said Michael Dalzell, spokesman for Kicking Horse.

Barbara Murray, of the B.C.-based Bear Matters group, was shocked to hear that Boo had been castrated and questioned why Kicking Horse is allowed to keep the bear after allowing him to escape.

"That is so sad. What the hell are they doing?" she said.

Boo first escaped in early June when he dug under an electric fence and into the paws of a passing sow. He was captured 18 days later and returned to a more secure part of his enclosure.

However, he soon broke out again, smashing through a steel door, two electric fences and a 3.6-metre fence with 60 centimetres of steel beneath the ground. Again, he was spotted with a lady friend in tow.

Two weeks later, he returned, significantly underweight and tired.

His fate was reviewed by B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner, who said last month he was "not interested" in returning Boo to captivity.

Penner is on holiday and was unavailable for comment.

But Dalzell said the government had reviewed Kicking Horse's "refuge" and allowed them to keep Boo. The refuge will remain closed until next year.

"They came and reviewed the program, and said this is a solid program and that, given the circumstances, the bear should stay at the resort," he said.

Dr. Ken Macquisten, Kicking Horse's Vancouver-based consulting veterinarian, said Boo was castrated during a second physical shortly after his return. He said the surgery should help keep the grizzly within the confines of his enclosure.

"The only thing he was missing in his life was a partner," said Macquisten. "I am convinced that the only reason he (escaped) was because of his sexual urges."

Castration was always planned for the 41/2-year-old grizzly. However, it became necessary when Boo reached sexual maturity earlier than expected.

Boo has lived in the nine-hectare enclosure since his capture in 2002, after his mother was illegally shot by a hunter along the Barkerville Highway in the Cariboo.

Ellen Zimmerman, a Golden-based spokeswoman for Wildsight, said Boo had other options, including possible rehabilitation at other refuges in B.C. She said Boo had become a victim of commercial interests.

"This is what happens when you keep a wild animal in captivity," said Zimmerman. "Kicking Horse is the anti-grizzly bear. It's exactly what bears don't need. They need wilderness, without us in it."