The most famous bear in Whistler, B.C. has been shot dead by a conservation officer after weeks of aggressive behaviour. Jeanie the black bear, known for the iconic patch of white fur on her chest, was shot last week after being caught in a trap and tranquilized. Her cub was sent to the Critter Care Wildlife rescue centre in Langley for rehabilitation. Jeanie has been seen around Whistler for about 20 years and had been moved several times by conservation officers in recent years to an area along the edge of Whistler’s boundaries.
Jeanie had her own Facebook page (Friends of Jeanie the bear) and her followers reacted in both sadness and anger over her death.
“It is really most upsetting that we could not save a Whistler icon!” Liz Barrett wrote.
Other argued that Jeanie’s behaviour was growing increasingly problematic.
“It would be terrible to not feel safe in your own workplace – even if we all logically know that Jeanie wouldn’t fatally harm someone, can you imagine how you would feel being charged at by such a powerful animal?” Danni Kinsman wrote.
