It turns out Cormorant Island’s Grizzly bears were actually a girl and a boy, not both boys, as first thought.
A sex determination was able to be made after the bears were captured alive last Thursday morning at 8:55 a.m., said Alert Bay RCMP Sgt. Brett Sinden. One was estimated to weigh about 200 pounds, the other 250, Sinden said.
“As far as we know, the Ministry of Forest, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations will have their biologists determine the next step,” said Village of Alert Bay Chief Administrative Officer Justin Beadle. “It has always been our understanding that the bears will be relocated to a safe place,” Beadle said.
“They were flown off the island,” said Sinden, who thanked the community for their patience and help during the temporary invasion.
The initial sighting of the bears, who had island hopped over from the mainland, was at Sandyville on the southeast end of Cormorant Island at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 16. “It’s a good happy story all around,” Sinden said.
