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Injured bear near Thetis Lake could already be dead: conservation officer

An injured bear thought to be near Thetis Lake could already be dead from a crossbow wound, a conservation officer said. Conservation officer Peter Pauwels said a call came in Sunday evening about a bear with obvious injuries.
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A black bear is seen in this undated handout photo.

An injured bear thought to be near Thetis Lake could already be dead from a crossbow wound, a conservation officer said.

Conservation officer Peter Pauwels said a call came in Sunday evening about a bear with obvious injuries.

The Capital Regional District issued a warning about the bear on Monday, saying it could be in the area of Thetis Lake.

However, Pauwels said there is a good chance the bear has died based on the amount of blood that was seen during a search.

The bear was shot in the vicinity of Lost Lake Road in Highlands. It ran off before the hunter could reach it.

“RCMP got there first and they determined that somebody had been hunting with a crossbow in the area and had hit the bear and the bear had run off,” Pauwels said.

Pauwels and three police officers set out to find the bear Sunday evening.

“We searched the area following a blood trail, a very significant blood trail,” he said. “It led into some very thick bush and we kept following until it got dark.”

The group was back at it Monday morning but eventually had to call the search off.

“The weather wasn’t good,” Pauwels said. “It was raining pretty hard and we weren’t able to pick up any more blood trail.”

They looked in the area where their search had ended Sunday, “but we could find no evidence of where it had gone.”

“We’ll have to wait for another sighting,” he said. “There’s not much else we can do in terms of looking for it.”

Pauwels said the bush they were searching in is very thick. “You could spend weeks out there.”

The legality of the hunt is under investigation, he said. “I can tell you that bow hunting is allowed in the Highlands and is allowed in the area where this took place.”

Anyone who sees an injured bear should keep a safe distance. Do not approach the animal. Sightings should be reported to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.

jwbell@timescolonist.com