A black bear that likes to dine on garbage was trapped on Burke Mountain and released into the woods a distance away from the city.
It’s a second chance at life for the large male bear, which was relocated instead of destroyed because it wasn’t acting aggressively or damaging property.
But Sgt. Todd Hunter of the BC Conservation Officer Service is concerned that people who are setting their waste carts out early or failing to lock them away after garbage day could lure the bruin back to the neighbourhood.
“What we need people to do is to ensure they are following the waste regulation bylaw in terms of not leaving it out on the street. [If human food is easy to get] the bears become habituated and become dangerous, and more often then not they are destroyed,” Hunter told The Tri-City News this week.
The bear that was released June 26 was not the one the CO service was looking for and because there was little information on it, it was set free instead of being euthanized.
That means conservation officers are still looking a bear that has been spotted getting into garbage in the area of Stephens Court and around Galloway Avenue.
“Over the last little while, we are getting a lot of calls about bears into garbage. We need the public to ensure the are doing their part. If you don’t want bears destroyed, please help us out,” Hunter said.
In addition to setting traps, officers are also hazing bears out of neighbourhoods if they think the bruins haven’t become too garbage-habituated and don’t pose a threat.
Bear calls are up this month, Hunter said, and should die down a little in July as more of their natural food sources, such as berries, become available to them. But if they smell garbage, they are likely to choose human food because it has more calories.
So far, only one bear has been destroyed in the Tri-Cities (in Port Coquitlam) and Hunter wants to keep it that way.
To keep bears out of your yard, Hunter recommends taking several approaches: respecting the set-out times; storing carts in locked garages or sheds, or, if that’s not possible, freezing food that has a strong smell before setting it out on garbage day; washing out containers; and separating food waste from regular garbage.
“It’s a little more work on everybody’s part but [if people take action] we’re not going to have bears attracted to bins.”
One concern is the lack of proper waste bins for tenants of secondary suites. Hunter encourages landlords to make sure their tenants’ food waste is properly stored.
Hunter is also pleased that several municipalities, including Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam, are participating in a region-wide effort to reduce bear issues, while Coquitlam is already a Bear Smart community.
