Conservation Officers captured and relocated three grizzlies from the Cherryville area on Oct. 22, 2016.
Image Credit: Contributed/Ken Owens Conservation Officer Service
December 28, 2016 - 9:00 PM
In the region, there's no shortage of wild animals. Pair that with the abundance of nature near cities and there's bound to be plenty of human-animal interaction.
Looking back over the last year, we've covered stories about wild animal sightings and issues, domestic pets, police dogs and many more. We've gathered our top animal stories from 2016.
BEARS
Unfortunately for bears, once they become habituated to getting their food from humans, it's incredibly difficult for them to break that habit.
Last spring a bear had to be put down after it got a little too comfortable in a Spallumcheen trailer park.
A family of bears had to be put down in Kamlooops' Rayleigh neighbourhood after they found a desirable food source.
In the North Okanagan, a grizzly sow and her two cubs were captured and relocated in the name of public safety and, hopefully, to spare their lives.
Meanwhile, in a light-hearted man versus nature story, the B.C. Wildlife Park put some prototype bear-proof bins to the test. The two young grizzlies were victorious.
WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS
Image Credit: Randy Millis
From moose stopping in a West Kelowna neighbourhood, a lynx spotting in a Kamloops neighbourhood, reports of Okanagan bighorn sheep being chased by dogs, to a starving cougar trying to enter the Kamloops museum, there's no question that our region is wild.
With the rise of the urban deer population, the issue of deer attacking humans became a hot topic this year.
An Enderby deer farmer had nearly 30 deer killed by Conservation Officers, who cited compliance issues with the farm.
A Kamloops woman had a close call with a rabid bat she tried to rescue.
PETS, RACCOONS AND POLICE DOGS
The three baby raccoons rescued by a West Kelowna man and cared for by the staff at Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital are doing well in their new home.
Image Credit: Contributed
A cat in Princeton got the attention of the town when it became stuck on a power pole for days.
Three baby raccoons found in a West Kelowna home were lucky and ended up in a safe home with a happy ending.
A man riding in a buggy pulled by two horses made a quick stop at the local A&W drive through and got a lot of attention.
A more sombre story of a dog mourning the passing of its owner came out of Kelowna last spring.
Police dog Zak.
Image Credit: RCMP handout
We covered the retirement of Kamloops police dog, Zak, the introduction and training of a puppy into the Kelowna RCMP, and the addition of a Penticton victim service dog, Calypso.
ABUSE AND NEGLECT
Stories covering animal abuse or neglect are hard to stomach, but ultimately important to the public.
A case of cattle poaching in the Westsyde neighbourhood of Kamloops shook the ranching community.
Police in Kamloops seized 19 dogs that were left in a van by a Saskatchewan woman.
A Merritt shelter called for help from the public to solve a gruesome case where a dog was killed on the Coldwater Reserve.
The SPCA had to step in when a tenant in a Kamloops apartment was keeping dozens of cats.
Friends and family mourned the death of a 78-year-old elder on the Tk'emlups Reserve after she was attacked and killed by a dog.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2016