As urban development expands into natural areas in British Columbia, the frequency and severity of human-wildlife conflicts and interactions increase. Urban wildlife impacts within urban parks and on city infrastructure are becoming more noticeable and widespread.
Click to expand the sections below to learn more about some of the common urban wildlife found in Kamloops.
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Black bears are the most common and wildly distributed bear found in Canada, with British Columbia having one of the world’s highest populations of black bears. Most areas of British Columbia are identified as “bear country,” with bears living in a wide range of ecosystems. In 2024, it is estimated that bears accounted for 513 calls to the Conservation Officer Service in Kamloops, which is more than any other wildlife species. Black bears are a forest species, but they forage in a variety of habitats, including forest and shrub areas, shrub-steppes, ridgetops, shorelines, and riparian areas.
Black bears are most active from April to November, but in milder climates or where they are continuously finding food, they may go into their dens later in the season or not at all. Black bears go through a phase called hyperphagia (extreme eating) in the fall. This is when they try to get as much as 20,000 calories per day to put on fat stores in preparation for winter denning. Black bears lose around 30% of their body weight when they are denning.
Black bear activity in Kamloops can be highly influenced by climate in any given year. Hotter and drier springs lead to food shortages, which correlates heavily with increased bear activity within urban areas. Black bear activity is further increased by the availability of attractants in urban centres, such as fruit-bearing trees, gardens, bird feeders, edible landscapes, backyard composters, and solid waste containers. Proper management of these attractants reduces the number of human-bear conflicts.
Black bears are omnivorous mammals, with vegetation making up about 80% of their diet. When black bears emerge from their dens in April, they seek out lush greens, such as grasses, sedges, horsetails and other protein-rich fresh growth. Once berries ripen, bears will switch to these high-calorie foods. Other foods include rodents, fish, insects (especially larvae), carrion, and sometimes young deer, elk, or moose.
The City has actively engaged in reducing human-bear conflict in the community since 1999. This was initially done under the Bear Aware program, and in 2009, the Government of British Columbia designated the City of Kamloops a Bear Smart Community. To maintain this designation, the City actively works with WildSafeBC to promote awareness of human-bear conflict.
In 2023, the City updated its Human-Bear Conflict Management Plan and Bear Hazard Assessment, and collaborates with the Thompson Nicola Regional District, the Conservation Officer Service, WildSafeBC, and the Kamloops Wildlife Park to collaborate on shared messaging and awareness.
Please Report All Sightings
Report all sightings and human-wildlife interactions to the BC Conservation Officer Service by calling 1-877-952-7277.
Do you know what to do if you see a bear? Learn useful information about how to respond if you encounter a bear.
We work in partnership with WildsafeBC on preventing conflict with wildlife. For more information and resources to help avoid conflict with wildlife, contact the Kamloops WildSafeBC Coordinator at 250-828-2551 or visit WildSafeBC.
Kamloops is a Bear Smart Community – Learn more about how you can help prevent human-bear conflict and tips to properly manage bear attractants at Kamloops.ca/BearSmart.
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Deer are widespread, with mule deer, black-tailed deer, and white-tailed deer identified in British Columbia. Mule deer are the most abundant of the species in urban areas. Deer are the second-most reported species to the Conservation Officer Service, with an average of 418 reports per year in Kamloops, compared to bears with 513 reports in 2024.
Deer thrive in urban habitats due to their ability to adapt to urbanized areas. These areas provide excellent habitat and protection from hunters and predators. Ideal habitat areas for deer include ravines, creek draws, natural areas, and wooded parks, as they supply natural bedding areas and cover. Golf courses, open parkland, fertilized lawns, and flower or vegetable gardens provide ample and varied forage opportunities.
Additionally, natural predators of adult deer in urban areas are almost non-existent. Predators like coyotes, who normally prey on fawns in the wild, are often significantly different in urban areas. With natural predators reduced, the survival rate and subsequent population growth is greatly increased in urbanized deer communities.
As the population of urban deer increases, conflicts between them and residents also increase. The conflicts are identified as damage to gardens and landscaping, high rates of deer-vehicle collisions, aggressive behaviour towards humans, and potential transmission of disease from deer to humans and livestock.
Damage to gardens and landscapes is one of the most reported conflicts with deer in urban areas. Deer can eat 2–5 kg of vegetation per day. Deer are generally selective when it comes to which vegetation they eat. The main damage caused by deer falls into three categories: eating plant parts, rubbing antlers on bark, and trampling plants.
There are generally a high number of vehicle collisions reported in municipalities with large deer populations, although the exact numbers are not consistently collected. In British Columbia, collisions with deer make up 76% of all collisions with wildlife. Deer are also known to show aggression towards humans, generally in the following situations:
• females reacting to a real or perceived threat to young (generally in the spring)
• males or females annoyed or harassed by dogs or other pets
• males during the rut (in the late fall)
Deer aggression takes different forms, including assuming alarm postures, snorting, standing on hind legs while flailing front legs, charging, and charging with contact.
Conflict with deer is currently dealt with through the BC Conservation Officer Service on a case-by-case basis. If you are experiencing conflict with deer, or believe you have found an abandoned fawn, call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
Learn more about preventing conflict with wildlife at WildSafeBC.com.
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Marmots are the largest of the ground squirrels, with four species in British Columbia. Of the four species, yellow-bellied marmots (aka rockchuck) and woodchucks (also known as groundhogs) are the ones most likely to be found in conflict as their ranges overlap dense human developments.
Marmots are herbivorous rodents that dig burrows for shelter. They are true hibernators and spend the winter in underground dens. In the fall, they need to increase their food consumption and gain weight for winter hibernation as they do not store food in their burrows. Marmots generally feed on herbaceous plants, grasses, grains, fruit, and occasionally insects.
Marmots prefer ground that is suitable for digging burrows and locations with rock outcrops that will hide the burrow entrances and that can be used as lookout platforms. They are well adapted to building colonies at disturbed sites and near human infrastructure. Marmots who are deliberately fed or able to access human-provided food sources may become food conditioned, whereby they continue to seek out the unnatural food source. This can lead to human habituation, with marmots tolerating humans in proximity and possibly even becoming aggressive when begging for food.
All marmots are protected under the Wildlife Act. While trapping and relocating yellow-bellied marmots and woodchucks without a permit is allowed if they are causing property damage, it can be challenging to do so humanely and safely.
Much like geese, marmot populations within City parks have increased in recent years. Live trapping is the most common method of marmot control used by municipalities and has been the primary control method implemented by the City for the past 20 years. This control method has proven effective; however, with increased marmot populations over the past few years, it is becoming difficult to keep populations in check, particularly at McArthur Island Park and the Kamloops Sewage Treatment Centre.
Learn more preventing conflict with marmots at WildSafeBC.com.
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The beaver is an aquatic species of rodent found in British Columbia’s lakes, rivers, and streams and in brackish tidal waters along the coast. It is easily recognized by its small ears and eyes, brown coloration, and a large flat, broad, scaly tail. The presence of beavers in ponds and lakes is easily identified by beaver lodges, fallen trees along the shoreline that show the characteristic marks of beaver work and dams constructed from vegetation.
Beavers live in colonies of three to nine, typically adults, yearlings, and kits. The colonies use one or more lodges or burrows and build dams to provide better access to the vegetation they require to sustain themselves over the winter. Beavers require a stable water source, such as lakes, ponds, or streams, and an abundant source of woody plants. They prefer slow-moving, low-gradient watercourses (preferred <6%) with gentle bank slopes and a consistent supply of water and dam-building vegetation within 30 m of the water’s edge.
On average, a beaver cuts down 216 trees per year and can fall trees up to 40 cm in diameter. They use various trees, shrubs, herbaceous vegetation, and stream substrates (e.g. mud, silt, soft clay) to construct their dams and lodges. Beavers are generalist herbivores that need a mixed diet with specific preferences. They consume several species of trees, herbaceous plants, woody vines, and grass. They prefer aspen, cottonwood, and willows and tend to avoid conifers.
Over the past few years, City parks and green spaces that border water, such as Riverside Park, McArthur Island Park, and the Rivers Trail along Schubert Drive, have seen increased beaver activity. Beaver activity has removed or damaged large amounts of vegetation, particularly cottonwood trees. The tree damage has resulted in hazard trees over or on walking paths.
In response, Parks staff have wrapped trees with the highest likelihood of being targeted by beavers with metal mesh to prevent chewing; however, the beavers have now progressed to chewing ornamental trees that are not typically wrapped with wire. When beavers became an issue for City operations in the past, the City reached out to the Conservation Officer Service to have them removed as necessary.
Conflict with beavers is currently dealt with through the BC Conservation Officer Service on a case-by-case basis. If you are experiencing conflict with beavers or believe there is a danger to public safety due to beaver damage, call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
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Canada Geese are one of Canada’s most familiar birds in Canada. Canadian geese and cackling geese are migratory birds protected under the Canadian Migratory Birds Convention Act. This act prohibits the killing or capturing of the birds or damaging, destroying, removing, or disturbing their nests except when permission is given under the Migratory Bird Regulations. Federal and provincial permits are required for all lethal control methods. Permits will only be issued after the applicant demonstrates that they have a management plan in place and that their current approach to population management is inadequate.
Kamloops supports an introduced population of Canada geese, much like many other communities across British Columbia. The population is the result of a well-intended introduction and conservation program in the 1960s and 1970s that occurred in several locations in southern British Columbia.
Many jurisdictions are trying to appropriately manage descendants of introduced geese, which have formed non-migratory resident populations. Non-migratory geese (also referred to as urban, resident, or temperate nesting) are largely perceived as problem wildlife due to their abundance, territorial behaviour, crop damage, risk to human health and safety, fouling of grassy areas with droppings, fecal coliform contamination of public swimming areas, damage to lawns and green spaces, and other economic losses.
Geese prefer a habitat with large, open spaces with good visibility near water, allowing them space to fly. For these reasons, geese tend to be attracted to agricultural crops and lawns, making urban landscapes, such as parks and golf courses, excellent geese habitats for feeding, raising young, moulting, and nesting. Once geese have nested successfully, encouraging them to leave an area can be difficult because young geese tend to return to the nest where they were raised, which usually increases flock numbers year after year.
Geese are known to cause a variety of problems, including damaging grass or other plants and compressing or eroding soil in parks, golf courses, and other green spaces. Goose droppings can cover footpaths, docks, beaches, and lawns and may contaminate nearby water with parasites and coliform bacteria. Geese with nests or young can be aggressive towards humans and pets.
The presence of geese within City parks and sports fields has been a long-standing problem. Issues related to goose droppings, damage to grass, and aggressive behaviours have increased in recent years. The City has pursued various methods to manage the population and mainly focused on scare tactics to persuade the local population to move elsewhere.
The City’s Parks Operations Section currently hires a private contractor who operates a remoted-controlled “goose chaser” to encourage geese to leave targeted areas. While this approach has proven effective for managing small local populations, it does not address concerns related to population increases. The City has tested the use of bird statues and hand held optical lasers but found they were ineffective. Canine control was also previously implemented, but it was costly and inconsistent and added to the social challenge of introducing dogs to parks where they are prohibited.
Please do not feed geese. Geese will not leave a site if they are continually fed by people, so feeding geese can lead to a high population of geese year-round. When geese have their goslings in tow, please allow extra space to allow them to thrive and to help avoid conflict.
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Voles are small rodents similar to mice but have shorter tails, rounded muzzles and heads, and small ears. Voles are dark brown, with grey bellies that turn white in the winter. They are primarily herbivorous, feeding on a variety of grasses, herbaceous plants, bulbs, and tubers. They eat tree bark and roots, usually in the fall or winter, although feeding can occur throughout the year. Voles store seeds and other plant matter in underground chambers.
During the winter, they travel through tunnels created under the snow as it provides insulation and protection against predators. These tunnels can be identified during the winter with round balls of snow formed by the voles when they emerge to the surface. These tunnels can damage lawns, gardens, parks, golf courses, and cemeteries by removing vegetation.
Vole activity is identified by:
• bark that has been removed completely around the base of a tree (girdling)
• 2.5 cm to 5 cm wide dead strips (surface runways) through matted grass leading to shallow underground burrows
• small piles of brownish droppings (feces) and short pieces of grass along the runways
Vole numbers typically fluctuate from year to year, and under favourable conditions, populations can increase rapidly. In some areas, population numbers peak every three to six years before dropping back to low levels.
Voles are emerging as a new challenge at the City’s cemeteries. They often leave large piles of dirt obstructing headstones as they burrow underground. Voles can chew a ring around small trees and vegetation, which can lead to vegetation health issues. The City currently engages a qualified pest control contractor to trap and remove voles as needed.