Bears are awake and hungry

Over 25,000 bear-human conflicts are reported to the BC Conservation Officer Service every year, leading to the deaths of up to 1,000 bears to protect public safety.

Last year in Powell River, conservation officers received more than 440 human-wildlife conflict reports, resulting in the destruction of six bears. All of these bears were attracted into neighbourhoods by improperly stored garbage, fruit and other attractants.

Conservation officer Andrew Anaka said bears can smell garbage and other potential food sources over great distances. When bears learn that garbage is food, they often come back again and again. After bears become conditioned to garbage and other non-natural foods, often the only practical solution is to destroy them. Relocation is rarely an option and usually unsuccessful.

“In early spring when bears wake up, natural food is scarce and challenging to find,” he said. “Some bears will respond by coming into town and taking advantage of available food sources. All too often that means garbage.”

Garbage is unhealthy for bears. Their natural diet consists mostly of berries, green vegetation, roots, insects, grubs and carrion. Garbage can cause illness and injuries such as cuts and ingestion of harmful plastics, glass or chemicals as well as changing their natural behaviour around people.

“Fewer bears were destroyed in Powell River last year because controlling attractants is the answer to bear-human conflict,” he said. “Conservation officers are consistently providing this message to the public: we cannot control bear behaviour, so we must adjust ours.”

A good idea is to read through the homeowners’ checklist in the sidebar, cut it out and place it on the fridge where it can be easily referenced by the whole family, he added.

The Wildlife Act regulates how people attract bears to property and assists in alleviating the attraction of bears into communities. “Conservation officers want the public to know that legal action may be undertaken against individuals who continue to make attractants available to bears,” said Anaka.

Section 33.1 of the Wildlife Act prohibits feeding or attracting dangerous wildlife. Under the act, a conservation officer can, upon reasonable grounds, search private property and issue a violation ticket of $345 or compel a person to court for intentional feeding of dangerous wildlife (bears), or attracting dangerous wildlife to private property.

Under Section 88.1, conservation officers can also present and enforce a Dangerous Wildlife Protection Order. For example, issuing such an order would require the recipient to clean up bear attractants within a specified time period. If the terms of the order are not met, then the recipient could be issued a violation ticket of $345 or be compelled to court.

To report human-wildlife conflict, or report people unlawfully feeding or attracting bears, readers can contact the 24-hour reporting line at 1.877.952.7277.

Homeowner's checklist:

• Place garbage at curbside only on the morning of the designated collection day.
• Store all garbage in house, garages, shed or other secure enclosure. If garbage must be outside or in a shed: freeze smelly items (bones, meat wrappers) until the morning of pickup; keep diapers inside in an odour-free container until the morning of pickup; clean garbage cans regularly; jars and cans should be rinsed before they are placed in curbside recycling box; consider purchasing or building a bear-resistant garbage container; double-bag household refuse.
• Remove bird feeders during bear season or suspend them very high on a cable. Place only a small amount of high quality food in the feeder and clean beneath it daily.
• Pick fruit from trees as soon as it is ripe, and remove any fruit that falls to the ground. Consider removing old unproductive trees.
• Compost fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds and yard trimmings. Match the volume of kitchen scraps with equal amounts of “brown” material, such as newspaper strips, fallen leaves or clean topsoil. Aerate each time food is added and keep a lid on the bin. Regularly add lime.
• Keep pet food, refrigerators and freezers inside.
• Build chicken coops as strong as possible. Consider using electric fence if allowed by bylaw.
• Clean barbecues thoroughly after each use.
• Everyone in the neighbourhood must act responsibly, so coordinate efforts for everyone’s safety.