Grizzly bears can lose 30% of their body weight over the winter.When grizzly bears enter their dens they do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate while denning.Grizzly bears typically enter dens from December to April when food is less available.Polar bears and grizzly bears however, have produced hybrid offspring. While black bears and grizzly bears may appear similar, they are far apart evolutionary-wise and do not interbreed.There are two types of bears in BC: black bear and grizzly bear.These reports can be viewed on WildSafeBC’s WARP. All bears that are aggressive in nature, or sightings in urban areas, should be reported to the Conservation Officer Service (1-87). Bears are most active from April to November and conflicts can increase when natural food sources are reduced and/or unnatural attractants are readily accessible. The Conservation Officer Service receives approximately 400 to 500 calls per year regarding grizzly bears. They are renowned for their acute sense of smell that allows them to locate food at great distances. Grizzly bears are omnivorous animals with vegetation making up about 70% of their diet. Grizzly bears can have a variety of coat colours from black to almost blonde.
They play an important ecological role and are culturally significant to many Indigenous people in BC. Grizzly bears are the slowest reproducing land mammal in North America and female bears have a reputation for being fiercely protective of their offspring. Other populations are threatened and are considered a “species at risk” by both the Provincial and Federal government. Grizzly bears are not as abundant or widely distributed as black bears and are generally absent from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Central Interior. British Columbia has about one quarter of the entire North American population with approximately 15,000 bears. The grizzly bear ( Ursus arctos) is one of three bears found in Canada the others being the American black bear and the polar bear.