A Quadra Island farmer first noticed something was up when one of his goats was missing on Monday morning.
Ben McGuffie operates the SouthEnd Farm Winery on the island, located off of Campbell River. His Monday started like any other. But after 9 a.m., when he noticed one of his goats was not in the pen where it should have been, his day took a turn.
香蕉视频直播淲e spent most of the day looking through the woods, myself, my wife, my children, all sorts of neighbours and their children, all walking through the woods and trying to find the missing goat,香蕉视频直播� McGuffie said. 香蕉视频直播淲e gave up towards the end of the day and hope that she had just kind of wandered off and would come back, which would have been highly unusual.香蕉视频直播�
It wasn香蕉视频直播檛 until nightfall when he found out what had happened.
香蕉视频直播淎round 9:50 p.m. or so we noticed our two other goats were acting strangely. They took off from where they usually stand, so I got out of bed and stuck my head out the door to see what was going on. I noticed one of the goats was running very fast through the pen and something large and brown was behind it,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淚 jumped out, my wife Jill was right behind me. We grabbed whatever was at hand and went out and yelled at it. One of the goats came through the pen and came past us on the far side of the fence. The bear followed it along. It did stop when we yelled at it, it didn香蕉视频直播檛 run away. It wasn香蕉视频直播檛 until I actually threw a rock at it and hit it that it ran off.香蕉视频直播�
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The grizzly bear has been spotted on the island for around a month now, but this is the first time it has threatened or attacked any livestock or people on the island. Quadra Island hasn香蕉视频直播檛 traditionally been grizzly bear territory but is in the vicinity of North Island bear sightings that are becoming more frequent in recent years.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said they are aware of the bear, and that the bear has travelled to the more populated areas of the island. They were at the winery on Tuesday, McGuffie said, where they set up a live trap and some game cameras, hoping to catch the animal.
香蕉视频直播淭hey came over first thing in the morning, had a look around and tried to find the missing goat, thinking it would lead them to the bear,香蕉视频直播� McGuffie said. 香蕉视频直播淣ow we just have to wait for the bear to reappear. We haven香蕉视频直播檛 seen it, haven香蕉视频直播檛 seen any posts on social media from people who have. It香蕉视频直播檚 quite possibly sitting on the remains of our goat, finishing that off, sadly.香蕉视频直播�
The Conservation Officer Service is consulting with provincial wildlife biologists to determine the proper course of action once and if the bear is caught. In the meantime, they are asking the public to ensure their property is free of attractants and livestock is kept under lock and key.
香蕉视频直播淧eople should also ensure they do not walk their pets off-leash and they always take the appropriate precautions when walking on trails,香蕉视频直播� they added.
McGuffie, who has lived on the property since the 1970s, said this is the first time he has seen a bear near his home.
香蕉视频直播淲e may get one black bear every year or two down on this end, but they typically stick close to the shore and wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 come up even this far.香蕉视频直播�
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