With summer heating up the number of human/bear encounters is also on the rise, prompting the Conservation Officer Service to remind Tri-City residents to be bear aware.
The number of bear complaints reported to the COS since April shows bears are rambling through residential neighbourhoods in increasing numbers. Calls from Coquitlam since the spring are at 312 (207 of which were placed in June), followed by 216 from Port Coquitlam (133 last month). Port Moody has logged 82 (51 in June) with another 13 in Anmore (five in June).
A report late last week of a bear being shot near Lincoln Avenue and Shaughnessy Street turned out to be a false alarm, said Conservation officer Cody Ambrose, who added a nearby resident probably used a bear banger to scare a bruin away.
"The COS recommends using air horns instead of bear bangers as a technique to deal with bears," he wrote in an email.
Ambrose said another problem last week involved a large group of people in PoCo following and photographing a bear, a dangerous situation that also creates traffic problems.
"When we have large groups of people following and crowding a bear it can turn sideways quickly, especially if the bear feels threatened," Ambrose said. "We want to remind people that these are wild animals and to treat them with respect. These types of events also don't leave the COS with much options when we have to take public safety into consideration."
Ambrose noted that garbage also continues to be a problem here.
The Wildlife Act stipulates that it's an offence to attract dangerous wildlife to your property; garbage that isn't secured in a bear-proof can can result in a $230 fine.
"A bear that accesses garbage will likely never go back to natural food sources and eventually gets into conflicts," Ambrose said.
The Tri-Cities' geography - cities filled with greenbelts and up against the mountains - means residents should expect to see many different species of wildlife in their back yards.
"The COS asks residents to do their part to avoid negative human-wildlife interactions," Ambrose said.
Conflicts with wildlife should be reported to the 24/7 COS at 1-877-952-7277.
