OAK BAYNEWS SPECIAL FEATURE
ENTERTAINMENT
Oak Bay Family
Rockin’ the block
A new family feature section explores the challenges of parenting and offers sound advice. Pages A11-14
Residents of Amelia Street welcome the city to celebrate heritage. Page A16
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Wednesday,July 25, 2012
Wolf chases Discovery Island visitors away B.C. Parks closes island to public for safety reasons Laura Lavin News staff
A lone wolf has won the battle for Discovery Island – for now. As of Monday (July 23) Discovery Island is off limits to the public for safety reasons. In response to the presence of a wolf, which was confirmed two weeks ago, B.C. Parks has temporarily closed the park to public access. While the wolf is not displaying any behaviour that is a concern to B.C. Parks or the Conservation Officer Service, the temporary closure of the park will allow them time to assess the situation and determine the best course of action to ensure the continued health and well being of the wild animal, while ensuring park visitors are not exposed to potential encounters. Campers on Discovery Island first reported a stray or abandoned animal to conservation officers in early May. It is not known where the wolf came from, but Courtenay resident Rick James has a theory. “Three (or) four years ago, three of us archaeologists were working on a Willows Beach residence when the owner came along with (a dog) off leash and it attacked us,” James said. “We were eating our lunches and it ran in at us … and literally grabbed the sandwich out of my hand. “I told the woman owner she needed to keep her wolf/dog on a leash and then she walked down to the end of the beach and let it loose again. It came back at full gallop and once again grabbed my lunch right out of my hand with its big jaws.” James said he wasn’t injured by the dog, but his co-workers jumped in the pickup truck for safety. “Me? I had some words with the owner, who by no means was going to apologize or accept she needed to assume control of the animal,” he said. He then lodged a complaint with Oak Bay animal control. PLEASE SEE: Wolf behaviour unusual, Page A10
Christine van Reeuwyk/News staff
Barb Vucko, left, and Shirley Hunter in the corner of Hunter’s garden where she’d love to have bees perched in a home near the cottage if Oak Bay relaxes its bylaws.
Increasing the buzz in Oak Bay Simple bylaw change would welcome more hives to the area Christine van Reeuwyk News staff
A simple switch from “and” to “or” could see a swarm of bees set up residence in Shirley Hunter’s flower bed. The Oak Bay woman hopes to add a little buzz to her backyard, and oomph to her flowerbed, with a beehive. “We would like to have bees, it’s good for our gardens,” she said. “And there’s the lack of knowledge about sudden colony collapse. … Last year 65 per cent of the Island’s bees died.” Her friend and neighbour Barb Vucko,
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tomf@vreb.bc.ca
already a keeper of mason bees, agrees. beehive is not less than 2.4 metres above “Anything to keep the native bee spe- ground level; and a beehive where the cies,” she said. “It’s one more part of try- entrance is less than 2.4 metres above ing to keep the environment healthy.” ground level must be behind three secHunter called on Barry “the beemas- tions of solid fencing or other screenter” Denluck, co-president ing in a three sided shape of the Capital Region Beeleast two metres above “(Bees are) one at keepers Association, as a ground level, with the midresource. She learned that more part of trying to dle section running paralOak Bay’s bylaws make it a lel to the beehive entrance tad too expensive and inva- keep the environment wall and each of the two sive to build a colony. wings extending back at healthy.” “They’ve got this disleast even with the back of - Barb Vucko tance requirement as manthe beehive. datory, regardless of anyIn the spring Denluck thing else that [beekeepers] do,” Den- proposed a simple alteration to make luck said. “That’s not true in general with beekeeping more accessible to the combeekeeping … in most municipalities.” munity. The bylaw says that no beehive can PLEASE SEE: be located closer than six metres to any More bees sure to please, Page A4 property line; and the entrance to each
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