Grizzly Bear most dangerous animal in B.C.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — B.C.’s most dangerous animal is the grizzly bear, according to data collected by Sportingpedia.

Sportingpedia took wildlife attack data from the Parks Canada Agency in each province to determine the most dangerous animals.

In B.C., with a population of over five million, grizzly bear attacks have been the biggest danger to humans between 2010 to 2021.

In that time frame, 104 grizzly bear attacks, 66 black bear attacks and 86 wolf attacks occurred across the province.

Last year, a woman near Dawson Creek, and a man near Fort Nelson, were both attacked by bears.

According to Sportingpedia, one in 17,798 people were attacked by wildlife in that period.

Annually, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service receives more than 25,000 human and wildlife conflict reports, most involving bears.

According to the statistics by Parks Canada, the most common attacks are from grizzly bears, but other incidents include wolves and black bears.

The only place with higher wildlife attacks than British Columbia is Alberta.

With a population of over four million, Alberta’s most dangerous animal is elk, with 2,299 attacks from 2010 to 2021.

Elk are large mammals weighing up to 500 kilograms and can be aggressive during calving and mating seasons.

Even the province’s second most dangerous animal dwarfs B.C.’s number of grizzly bear attacks.

In Alberta, 431 grizzly bear attacks occurred in the time frame tracked.

The number of black bear attacks in B.C. is tripled in Alberta, with 243 happening from 2010 to 2021.