The cruel blood sport of bear-baiting was banned across the British Empire in 1835. We in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, however, haven't seemed to get the message.
As we have reported this summer, conflicts with bears and reports of them being killed continue to hit the news.
Some conflicts are inevitable. The bear population is likely at a high point in its natural cycle and we spent much of the last 100 years sawing down trees to make their backyard into our backyard. Though very territorial, hungry bears are notoriously uninterested in our notions of private property.
But we don’t have to continue baiting the traps that eventually kill them with needless attractants like bird feeders, poorly stored garbage and unpicked fruit.
These creatures are smart and will figure out where the food comes from, even entering a home and opening a fridge, according to Coquitlam RCMP.
If we profess to care about bears, we have to demonstrate it with action, starting with our own backyards.
— originally appeared in Tri-City News' sister paper the North Shore News.
