BACKGROUND
Over the past 5 years, 54 bears and 30 cougars have been killed in the Capital Regional District (CRD), Victoria, Canada, due to conflict; of these, 14 bears and 22 cougars were destroyed due to agricultural conflicts. Of those 2 bears and 6 cougars were killed in Metchosin since 2011. In Metchosin the number of calls to conservation officer with regards to conflicts with carnivores has boomed since 2016 (from 9 to 23 calls regarding damages, injuries, garbage accessing, and livestock killings for both black bears and cougars), especially in regard to black bears predating livestock (from an average of 2.29 in the previous six years to 7 calls this year since April). To move from human-carnivores conflicts to coexistence the Carnivore for Coexistence Alliance has engaged in helping install electric fencing in areas where bear-livestock conflicts are high.
DESCRIPTION
In April 2019, the Carnivore for Coexistence Alliance and Jeff Marley have helped install an electric fence on a property in Metchosin, Victoria, BC, that has experienced sheep losses over the last few years. To better understand what happens when we install an electric fence, we have set up cameras to document bear behaviour in response to electric fencing. So far no livestock has been predate by bears thanks to the electric fencing.
PRINCIPLE
Reduce the killing of carnivores due to livestock depredation and increase farmers willingness to coexist with carnivores on a shared landscape.
CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS
Maintain the electric fencing in operation, cut back all the vegetation around the fencing to allow the fencing to be working perfectly, check on battery regularly,
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