Squamish man offers to pay vet bills for injured black bear – Squamish Chief

A Squamish resident’s trail camera captured an injured black bear. He wants to pay for its veterinary care.
Brian Vincent was woken by a security camera notification early in the morning on July 17.
“I got an alert, and it was, I think 1:49 a.m. And then I looked, and the nine-second video of him tracing through a yard, and it's very clear his leg is injured,” he said.
Vincent added he has a security camera on his property to protect his dogs in case they have a run-in with a bear.
He posted the video to social media, where it received comments and interactions of individuals concerned about the bear’s welfare.
“It's a tricky situation because it could be a minor injury, and it will just heal by itself, of course. But he obviously is mobile and getting around. He clearly looks like he's in pain. His right leg is not even touching the ground. And other people have seen him in the Valleycliffe area, Hospital Hill, and are worried about him,” he said.
He called the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) hotline Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) to report his concern over the animal’s welfare, and was told it's generally not a situation which would result in a COS response.
“I spoke to somebody, and he said generally they don't intervene because the bear, you know, he could work out the kinks, and his leg could be fine. He's mobile, so he's getting around. But then I said, 'Look, if he needs some help, we certainly don't want him to be euthanized,'" he said. 
"Obviously, we would be willing to contribute to his vet bills if indeed they were to take that step. Like if they took a look at him, they saw him. If they were going to tag him anyway, with part of the tagging program, they examined him, and it looked like his foot needed some help. Then, yes, we would help pay."
The COS said in an emailed statement that they recognize the public’s desire to help injured wildlife, and while officers may respond to reports of injured dangerous wildlife, “officers do not capture animals for veterinary care.”
Their main duty is responding to wildlife impeding traffic or to euthanize them for welfare reasons.
Their mandate as a law enforcement agency is protecting public safety and natural resources.
“With regards to the referenced incident, the COS has received RAPP reports about an injured black bear in Squamish. As the bear remains mobile and there is no urgent public safety concern, conservation officers have not attempted to capture the bear,” they said.
When asked about ethical concerns of capturing a bear for veterinary care, Vincent said he recognizes the complexity of acting.
“It definitely is a moral quandary… Generally, I support the idea of nature taking its course. Having said that, we have a growing population here in Squamish, and because of all the development, we are definitely stressing these animals, and so they're getting into places where there are human structures, things that could injure them, and in that particular case, you know, I think we have a moral obligation to try to help them because they're they're confronting human made impediments oftentimes,” he said.
The COS reminds residents to secure attractants and leash pets when recreating.
For more resources and information, visit WildSafeBC.com.
 
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