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Bear lovers wary of proposed sanctuary
Worry rehabilitation area could become a zoo

Kent Spencer
The Province

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Bear lovers are worried the Liberals' campaign promise for a bear sanctuary on the North Shore could turn into a glorified zoo.

"This could end up as a zoo if it's done wrong," Barbara Murray, a member of the International Bear Association, said yesterday. "Too many people see bears or throw food in. They wouldn't be wild bears any more."

The proposal calls for 90 hectares of forest to be contained by an electrified fence. Orphaned cubs needing winter feeding would be hemmed in by the enclosure and hungry adult bears kept out.

Premier Gordon Campbell made the announcement on Grouse Mountain last month, saying the Liberals would provide $400,000 toward the rehabilitation area if re-elected.

The promise is contingent on an agreement being reached between Grouse Mountain Resorts and North Vancouver District.

Grouse Mountain already has a popular two-hectare enclosure with a pair of orphaned grizzly bears, Coola and Grinder. The bears pull in tourists as the resort faces declining revenues due to lack of snow.

The site would be mostly on district land in a remote area of Fromme Mountain, where there are few mountain-biking trails.

"This should be seriously considered if it makes sense for the bears," said Mayor Janice Harris. "At the end of the day, it's the bears I care about.

Concerned bear advocates say the concept has never been tried before.

"There is no science behind this proposal," said Murray. "We don't think this is the way to save bears."

If the concept goes ahead, advocates hope there will be no public viewing platforms, kids' tours, nuisance bears or bear school.