Bear proof
Powell River’s Conservation Officer Service has been receiving numerous reports of an undersized black bear in the vicinity of Chilco Avenue, Tides Trailer Court and Powell Lake Trailer Court in Wildwood. According to Conservation Officer Gerry Lister, the bear has been accessing unnatural food sources such as household garbage, bird feeders, compost and pet food. “The bear is seen at all hours of the day and evening and is unconcerned about the presence of people, but will tend to run off when challenged or chased by dogs,” he said. “There are also reports of some residents in the area feeding this bear, either because they feel sorry for it, or to enhance their opportunities to take photographs of it.”
Conservation officers only have two viable options for dealing with this bear, Lister said. The first is encouraging and expecting residents of the neighbourhood to make it feel unwelcome, giving it a natural fear of humans and their surroundings while at the same time eliminating access to human-related food sources. The second is to humanely destroy the animal.
“Relocation of the bear is not an option, as relocation has been shown to be generally ineffective and nothing more than a band-aid fix, rather than a solution,” Lister said. “Suitable habitat for relocation is already populated by resident bears, who will come into conflict with new bears, resulting in either the death of the bear or the displacement of bears where they will again come into conflict with humans.
“Capturing this bear and sending it to a rehabilitation facility is also not an option, as it is more than a year old, and the facility will tend to make the bear more dependent on humans for its food.”
Officers have decided to allow the bear to continue to live in the area, as they do not consider it to be a public safety threat at this time. “However, it is imperative that all residents of the area remain vigilant with respect to allowing this bear to gain access to any unnatural food sources,” Lister said. This includes access to household waste (garbage and composts), bird feeders, pet food, dirty barbeques, livestock and, later in the year, fruit and nut trees.
In addition, residents should make the bear feel unwelcome by yelling, honking horns, banging pots or using other noise-making devices. Residents of Wildwood with backyard chickens should also make use of electric fencing to prevent access, Lister said. “When these techniques are employed and the bear is no longer accessing unnatural food, it will begin to act more like the wild animal that it is supposed to be,” he said.
Conservation officers will attend and investigate where there are reports of unsecured food attractants or intentional feeding of bears. If an officer believes that attractants were left or placed to intentionally attract or feed bears, or were left through simple ignorance or neglect, he has the option of issuing a violation ticket of up to $345. An officer can also issue a Dangerous Wildlife Protection Order to anyone who has accessible attractants present on their property. A person who does not comply with such an order is subject to a fine of $575.
Information on preventing bear conflicts can be found on the Internet.
Residents who know someone who is feeding bears, directly or indirectly, or who is being careless with attractants on their property can call the Conservation Officer Service 24-hour dispatch at 1.877.952.RAPP (7277) to make a report. Residents should also call this number if they are experiencing a serious wildlife conflict.
