An electrified fence constructed to keep bears out of a blueberry farm in the Minnekhada Park area has trapped several of the animals inside.
Drake Stephens, Coquitlam's urban wildlife co-ordinator, said conservation officers were able to tranquilize two bears Monday night and remove them from the area but more are still stuck behind the fence .
"It is a really difficult challenge," he said. "I think it will be impossible to get them all out."
The farmers will likely have to wait until the berry season is over and the fence is turned off before the animals leave the property. Stephens said once the berries have been harvested the animals will have no reason to stay on the farm and will likely leave on their own.
Mark Robinson, whose family owns the berry farm, told The Tri-City News last week that the fence is necessary to keep bears from eating their crops.
He was involved in a bow hunt of a bear last year, that wounded an animal. Since then, Coquitlam council has banned hunting but farmers are still allowed to shoot the animals if they are protecting their crop.
Stephens defended the Robinson family's decision to build the electrified fence, saying it will save more bears in the long run.
"People were complaining that the bears were getting shot," he said. "The farmers complain the bears are eating his crop. I think we can live with the fence."
But Stephens acknowledged that building the fence in the middle of berry season was not ideal timing.
Mayor Richard Stewart concurred, saying the fence is necessary but should have been constructed in the off-season.
"The fence is probably the right approach, but not in the middle of blueberry season," he said. "I am not sure the farmer accomplished what he is trying to do."
Stewart also took issue with the location of the fence, which sits right next to Oliver Road, which is used by many people and their dogs to access Minnekhada Park.
Metro Vancouver, which shares ownership of the road with the Robinson family, has also said the fence is too close to the road and could pose a danger to people and pets.
"It is quite outrageous," Stewart said. "It really concentrates bear activity. It gives them no place to go once they are on the road."
