A Lake Francis resident is speaking out about rising livestock predation after one of her cows was killed by a bear.
Dianne Riding discovered the dead animal on a Wednesday morning in November–– an unexpected and costly loss.
“We have a big predation problem in this province and it’s getting worse and worse,” she said.
Riding has lived in Lake Francis her entire life, and noted she never had issues with predators until three years ago when she first spotted a bear on her property. On Christmas Day 2024, a wolf killed one of her cows. The recent attack has her increasingly worried about the future of her herd.
“Once these predators know there’s food here, they will have an easy meal to come back to,” she added. “Once they start killing the livestock, they are going to keep it up. I don’t want to be that cruel person, but we need to start eliminating some of the problem predators.”
Riding immediately filed a claim through the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC)’s Wildlife Damage Compensation for Livestock Predation program. The program compensates producers up to 90 per cent of an animal’s value, to a maximum of $7,000 (increasing from $3,000 as of Apr. 1, 2025), when livestock is killed or injured by a bear, wolf, cougar, fox, or coyote.
Although no one witnessed the incident, the MASC adjuster confirmed a bear was responsible, identifying characteristic throat markings and signs that the heart had still been pumping when the cow was attacked.
“She was an extremely healthy cow that I bought earlier this year. She was drinking water on Monday, then just completely gone the next day,” Riding said. The young cow will likely be valued at around $3,000. Even with approved compensation, she expects to lose out on several hundred dollars.
Riding describes herself as “very wildlife accepting person,” but says that changes when predators threaten her animals.
“If they can take out livestock, they have the ability to harm somebody’s child,” she added. “If someone’s kid gets mauled, then what are we going to do?”
Riding posted a warning on social media after the kill, urging residents to be cautious as bears remain active and food sources diminish. She said predators are affecting livestock well beyond her community, and she’s heard of farmers losing upward of 100 cows a year in other areas of the province.
Even with compensation programs, she says producers are still left with gaps.
“They’ve done studies and these studies show that for every kill compensated, it’s likely you have already lost two more.”
During the 2024–25 fiscal year, MASC processed 2,920 predation claims, with 90 per cent confirmed as predation-related. Coyotes accounted for roughly 75 per cent of cases, wolves about 20 per cent, and bears and cougars the remaining five per cent.
MASC Chief Product Officer David Van Deynze noted to qualify for compensation, a carcass must be present for inspection.
“Producers have reported losses to livestock where the entire carcass has been removed by the predator. In those instances, the producer is not eligible for compensation,” he said.
Compensation levels vary depending on inspection findings: 90 per cent for a confirmed kill, 45 per cent for a probable kill, and none when there is no evidence.
For claims where compensation is less than 80 per cent of the value lost, the payout is funded 60 per cent by the Government of Canada and 40 per cent by the Province of Manitoba. Claims above 80 per cent are fully funded by the province.
Producers must report incidents within 72 hours. Inspectors assess the carcass and site for bite marks, scratches, blood, drag marks, and other indications of a struggle.
MASC and Agriculture Manitoba recommend several deterrents, such as predator-resistant fencing, deadstock composting areas, solar foxlights, electronets, fladry and turbo-fladry lines, and livestock guardian dogs. Partial reimbursement is available for producers who adopt certain measures.
Riding said she has followed many recommendations, including fencing upgrades, foxlights, removing attractants, and keeping donkeys as livestock guardians. But she says the number of predators in the region overwhelms these strategies.
“I try to follow those recommendations, but the problem is we have far too many bears and wolves on the landscape for them to work efficiently,” she explained. “The resources do help, but they are a great expense, and depending on the size of your field, that amount is not feasible.”
She is calling for stronger conservation measures and wants the province to consider introducing a bear and wolf bounty program. She said conservation officers often relocate problem animals, but believes this simply shifts the issue to other communities.
“Mr. Bear will keep coming–– they don’t care about where they have lunch,” she suggested. “Bears are becoming too brave around people and one day someone is going to get hurt.”
Carson Callum, general manager of Manitoba Beef Producers, said many producers across the province have dealt with rising predation over the past decade.
“Losing animals means losing part of your income,” he explained. “It’s stressful for these producers who care deeply about their animals.”
He noted MASC’s compensation program is helpful but does not cover every loss, especially when carcasses are not found. He also noted the 72-hour reporting window can be challenging on weekends or outside business hours, though MASC is working on improvements.
“I think there are areas we can work on –– like the photo submission process –– but overall, the program has been supportive over the last number of years.”
Callum said management tools such as fencing and deterrents help, but believes the “main solution lies in completely eliminating the problem in the first place.”
Riding also wonders whether Black Bear Rescue Manitoba could be unintentionally contributing to habituation.
“If people are raising these bears and bottle feeding them, the bears are going to expect food from you,” she explained. “The rescue is doing amazing things for these bears…but in a roundabout way we are setting them up for disaster.”
Black Bear Rescue Manitoba founder Judy Stearns said their protocols are designed specifically to prevent habituation.
“Per protocols established in accordance with bear behaviour experts, and authorized by the Province, all necessary steps are taken to ensure that bears who come to BBRM are not habituated, and are released back into their natural habitat as wild bears,” she noted.
Riding emphasizes she wants to coexist with wildlife, acknowledging that displaced animals –– especially following wildfires –– are increasingly moving through agricultural land. But she added producers need more support and more effective long-term solutions.
“This is turning into less of a conservation and agriculture issue and into a people issue,” she added. “Something more needs to be done.”
