A common sense approach is the best way to stay safe on trails in the Tri-Cities, says a wildlife consultant who has spent years educating residents about bear safety.
Drake Stephens, who retired from Coquitlam as the city's urban wildlife co-ordinator, says people shouldn't walk alone and should keep their dogs leashed.
The advice comes after a 10-year-old girl was mauled while walking trails next to Coquitlam River with her father.
Stephens doesn't know what prompted the attack but he says bear attacks are rare — the equivalent of getting hit by lightning.
But he warns that the odds of a human/bear conflict increases with an increase in the number of human/bear interactions.
Stephens also suspects that bear issues are under-reported in the Tri-Cities, Anmore and Belcarra, so it's hard to get a true idea of the number of bear/human interactions.
Still, he says people can live safely with bears if they take the following steps:
• Lock up garbage, get rid of animal attractants around your house, including ripe fruit.
• Walk in groups or pairs along local greenbelts.
• Watch for signs along trails such as bear scat; if there are berries along your route, be particularly cautious.
• Scuff your feet or make noise to alert bears of your approach.
• If your sight-lines are poor when walking in the woods, clap your hands as you approach and round a curve in a trail.
• If you see a bear, don't approach it, speak in a loud firm voice to encourage it to depart; if it doesn't, go back where you came from.
• He doesn't recommend bells, believing bears are better warned by the sound of the human voice, but suggests people carry bear spray, adding, "It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it." Bear spray can be purchased from sporting goods stores.
