British ColumbiaThe B.C. Conservation Officer Service says two Texada Island residents have been charged with the killing of a grizzly bear this summer.The bear was shot and killed without authorization, according to B.C. Conservation Officer ServiceCBC News · Posted: Sep 29, 2025 9:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours agoThe Texada Island grizzly as spotted by resident Mark Robert on May 25, 2025. Robert said in his encounter it showed no aggression toward him, his girlfriend or their two dogs. Charges have been laid in relation to the death of the grizzly, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. (Mark Robert)The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) says charges have been laid against two Texada Island residents in relation to the killing of a grizzly bear.In a Facebook post Monday evening, the COS said Crown counsel approved the charges after an in-depth investigation by conservation officers.The residents are charged with “failing to promptly report the wounding or killing of a grizzly bear,” according to the COS. The COS did not name the residents.The Environment Ministry confirmed in an email to CBC News that the charges are in relation to the same grizzly bear that was allegedly shot and killed without authorization in July, according to the COS.Residents of Texada Island — B.C.’s largest Gulf island, almost 100 kilometres northwest of Vancouver and home to about 1,000 people — had been split on wanting the bear moved, killed or left alone.Locals had nicknamed the grizzly “Tex.”Before the bear was killed, relocation was underway according to three coastal First Nations and the B.C. government.The bear had been relocated twice before, according to the province. Before the bear was killed, the province put out a list of the bear’s previous problematic behaviour from the past year, including: Stalking two residents while walking on a trail in Powell River on May 22. The residents escaped into the water while the bear paced on shore for half an hour, tearing up one of their jackets; Stalking a resident walking with her horse and dog for half a kilometre on Texada Island on May 28; Reportedly chasing livestock on June 10 and 11 on Texada Island. The COS says no further information will be provided as the matter is before the courts.With files from Maryse Zeidler and Andrew Kurjata
Charges laid in connection with killing of grizzly on B.C.’s Texada Island
