A Port Coquitlam mom and her four year-old son are afraid to go out in their yard after a bear charged them last Friday as they went to put food waste in their green bin.
Lexi Verano-Bibby said she was astonished to see the bear rear up on its hind legs and take four quick steps towards her and her son, Ronin, 4.
"I took that as he was charging me," said Verano-Bibby, who walked backwards to her house, keeping a close eye on the bear, and then called the city and the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which placed a bear trap in her driveway.
"It didn't look like he [the bear] was just investigating," said Verano-Bibby, who said the incident has left her shaken and concerned about the safety of her yard and her Oxford Heights neighbourhood.
As of Monday, when The News visited, the molasses placed on her Charleton Court yard had been washed away by the rain but there were still chicken parts left by conservation officers and sardines and other food in the trap — but no bear.
"Maybe he's too smart to get caught in the trap," said Verano-Bibby, who believes the adolescent bruin is one who visited the area last spring with his mother.
However, the threat of the bear returning has the family taking extra precautions, including storing garbage in the garage and carrying a bear horn when walking the dog in the yard.
It was mid-day when she was approached by the bear, which had been frequenting the area located next to Hyde Creek for several days.
On the day that she was charged by the bear, Verano-Bibby said the bruin had managed to pull off the cart-lock and was eating the food that was in the container.
She now has doubts that the city locks are effective and wants people to know they may have to take extra precautions, such as locking their trash in a house or garage.
"These locks are not enough," Verano-Bibby said.
A spokesperson for the Conservation Officer Service also recommends storing garbage in locked garages and freezing food waste until garbage day to cut down on the smell.
