Tri-City residents looking for information on local bear sightings now have a new tool to find out where potential problems are.
Bear Aware has installed a new mapping tool on its website that tracks complaints by date and location. The idea is to find out what is attracting bears to certain neighbourhoods so people clean up their garbage and other attractants to avoid problems. Animals in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody can be tracked by this map.
"Once a bear has become conditioned to feeding on human foods, it is extremely difficult to change its behaviour," said Michael Badry, wildlife conflicts prevention co-ordinator with the Ministry of Environment. "Relocation is often unsuccessful, so it is far preferable to stop conflicts before they occur. That's what Bear Aware and Bear Smart are all about."
Other wildlife issues are listed in the map as well. To view it, visit here and click on Bear Sightings.
