Keep your home bear safe for bears like Jeanie.

Jeanie, a black bear, was a resident of Whistler Mountain for about 20 years (1990-2011). She became an icon for the resort, and local residents and school children followed her life story. As she was accustomed to humans, she became a star of bear viewing tours, and gave Whistlerites and international visitors a glimpse into her world. She created a richer understanding of bears for many—their strengths and weaknesses, their individuality, and the depth of motherly love. She showed us that bears have unique emotions, quirks and personalities, and that perhaps we are more similar to bears than we imagined. Jeanie brought joy to all who were privileged to spend time in her company. She will be truly missed.

Jeanie was killed on October 20, 2011 as a result of preventable conflict with people. Her cub, Jeanette, spent the winter at Critter Care Wildlife Society in Langley. She was released to the wilds of the Elaho the following June. (Watch a video of the release.)

Jeanie's life story, as well as the story of other Whistler bears, and their strategies for survival, are very important in telling the story for future bear conservation. Whistler has unique problems because of the unique relationships that exist between people and bears. Whistlerites are very tolerant of their ursine neighbours. Jeanie and other bears have faced many changes over the years because their environment has changed dramatically as a result of increased development and recreational activities. Everything has been built gradually up around them. For many years, Jeanie coped reasonably well. Change picked up pace with more ATV's, Hummers, construction, and human disturbance. Less berries in 2011 and more competition for berry patches in the ski area, which is where Jeanie's home range was, likely drove her to seek food in peopled areas and restaurants in particular. Jeanie and her cubs often struggled when food was not at its peak. She got used to having access to high quality concentrations of food in her home range. As those foods became less abundant, she began venturing into the main Village with her cubs in tow. This area has been designated as a “no-go zone” for bears, meaning that bears are actively deterred from the area with non-lethal management tools. Unfortunately, Jeanie often found access to garbage in the Village and so she returned more and more often.

Jeanie was an extraordinary black bear who left a paw-print on the souls of all who encountered her. She will be forever remembered as an ambassador for her kind. Learn more about Jeanie and other Whistler bears in “A Whistler Bear Story.”

The solution to preventing future conflicts is, in theory, simple: secure garbage and other attractants so bears do not learn to associate people with food. If there is no food available, bears will not continue to frequent the area. While the solution is perhaps simple, it is not that easy to implement. Changes can start with individuals, but need to grow into community-wide efforts to prevent human-bear conflicts. Many communities are already taking on these efforts, and can serve as models and inspiration for more communities (including yours!) to do the same.