Trouble with Tex: Bear's epic swim leaves island with a dilemma

Most visitors to Texada Island, a 30-mile sliver of land off the west coast of British Columbia, choose between using a provincial ferry service with 10 daily sailings or a small air strip that welcomes the occasional chartered plane. But a four-year-old grizzly bear recently took a far more challenging route, braving strong currents and frigid water to swim nearly three miles across the Malaspina Strait.

- Leyland Cecco

The exhausted bear, named "Tex" by locals, hauled himself ashore on 25 May, unleashing a fierce dispute between residents, conservation officers and First Nations over his future – and prompting a broader debate over the relationship between the Canadian province and its wildlife.

Once a hub of logging and mining, Texada Island is now home to 1,200 residents and one grizzly bear, last spotted just after sunset on 23 June. The bear was known to conservation officers on the mainland, who had twice been forced to relocate him to avoid conflicts with human residents.

On both occasions, he returned to urban areas within weeks.

Before his swim, he had been spotted breaking into fishing boats to access bait and once stalked two walkers on a trail. The conservation service said: "The people escaped by entering and remaining in the water for half an hour while the bear remained on shore circling back and forth."

Despite this, provincial officials said there was no "kill order" on Tex. But they added they would respond to any behaviour "that threatens public safety".

Nicholas Scapillati, head of the Grizzly Bear Foundation, said such behaviour was to be expected. He said: "He's curious. He's a young male out of hibernation who was likely pushed off out of his home range by his mom and is looking for mates in a different genetic pool. Now he's just exploring."