Be Bear Aware

Photo by Peter Sulzle http://petersulzle.zenfolio.com/

Lisa Ritcey from the BC Bear Aware program has kindly passed along these facts and advice for Lac Le Jeune residents.

Also, here are a couple of resources to highlight:

• A map of latest bear (and other animal) reports 
• Bear Aware on Facebook 

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Black bears destroyed in BC due to conflicts with humans has been on the decrease since the inception of Bear Aware back in 1998. At that time approximately 1,000 bears a year were being destroyed due to conflicts. Presently, about 500 black bears a year are destroyed – which although, still high, is a marked improvement over past years.

The main thing to remember is that the bears are likely to move on if they are not rewarded for their visit. They may come into town out of curiosity or because of the smell of garbage/fruit/compost but if they do not find a meal they are unlikely to return. This is good for the bears and the people.

If bears get into our garbage they can hurt themselves. Our garbage contains broken glass, metal cans, house hold chemicals, and plastic. Leaving our garbage out can also hurt our children. Bears become habituated or food conditioned, and to children may appear as if they are safe to approach. The bears may seem calm enough but they are animals and they will protect food, their young, and their territory if they decide we are threatening any of those.

One attractant that we tend to forget about is bird seed, probably because it has no odour, and we also figure bears can eat seeds in the wild. But 1 kilo of bird seed has about 8,000 calories in it – it would take a bear almost all day to eat that in berries. There is also no such thing as a bear proof bird feeder. Remind residents that birds have plenty of food available in the summer and should only feed birds in the winter after the bears have gone to den.

Thank you again for your efforts to keep residents and the bears safe.

 Stats 

* 1998: 892 complaints, 46 bears destroyed
* 1999: 343 complaints, 11 bears destroyed
* 2000: 248 complaints, 13 bears destroyed
* 2001: 535 complaints, 25 bears destroyed
* 2002: 267 complaints, 10 bears destroyed
* 2003: 1,554 complaints, 35 bears destroyed
* 2004: 434 complaints, 3 bears destroyed
* 2005: 427 complaints, 3 bears destroyed
* 2006: 791 complaints, 4 bears destroyed
* 2007: 423 complaints, 3 bears destroyed
* 2008: 507 complaints, 5 bears destroyed
* 2009: 173 complaints, 4 bears destroyed
* 2010: 310 complaints, 5 bears destroyed

By Lisa Ritchey. Posted with permission.