Living in a rural area in northeast Port Coquitlam, Denee Iannone and Kami Dhillon are accustomed to seeing bears.
But in 20 years on their Laurier Avenue blueberry farm, Dhillon said she had never seen a dead bear until one expired in some bushes at the edge of the property last week.
Now, she and her neighbours are trying to figure out what to do with the approximately 300 lb. animal.
First, she called the city, which referred her to the BC Conservation Officer Service.
The CSO sent an officer to investigate but told Dhillon the bear was the city’s problem.
“[The Conservation Officer] didn’t have the equipment to remove it,” Dhillon told The Tri-City News. “She felt that it was the city’s responsibility.
“The city said it is private property and they won’t do it.”
The only other option would be for Dhillon and Iannone to pay to have the animal removed but they said they aren’t even sure where to turn to have that done.
“It’s a 300 lb. bear. If [the city and CSO] are saying they can’t do it, what makes them think we can do it?” Dhillon asked.
In the meantime, the bear, which was known around the neighbourhood as “Big Bob,” has started to smell.
On a hot day when the wind is relatively still, Dhillon said she can smell the animal from hundreds of yards away.
“It stinks to high heaven,” said Nettie Ewen, who lives next door.
The carcass is already beginning to rot and Dhillon and Iannone said they are concerned about its remains leaching into a nearby ditch. They also want CSO to determine how the animal died, saying it is unusual for bears to pass away naturally this far from the forest.
The investigator who visited last week was unable to turn the animal and therefore had trouble determining the cause of death, Dhillon said.
The Tri-City News contacted the CSO but a representative did not provide a comment by the print deadline.
The city of Port Coquitlam acknowledged it is aware of the issue but said it is the responsibility of the BC Ministry of Environment and the CSO.
“The city, as a courtesy, will remove small wildlife [e.g., raccoons] from private property where reasonable and accessible,” city spokesperson Pardeep Purewal said in an email to The Tri-City News. “We advise the resident to work directly with the Conservation Office.”
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