Bears are waking up and residents are being reminded to do their part to limit human-wildlife conflicts.
The city of Coquitlam said simple actions can help residents keep bruins away from populated areas, including keeping garbage and food waste secure and make sure all pet food, bird feeders and ripe fruit are not accessible to wildlife.
“Unsecured garbage continues to be the most common bear attractant in Coquitlam,” the city said in a press release. “It’s a problem because bears that become habituated to eating garbage can become aggressive and may be destroyed by the Conservation Officer Service.”
The city also suggests freezing smelly food scraps until collection day, cleaning carts after waste has been picked up to minimize odours and only putting garbage and green carts out after 5:30 a.m. on collection day as opposed to the night before.
Property owners who do not properly secure wildlife attractants could face fines of up to $500, the city said. Last year, 1,182 tickets and warning were issued and 318 incidents of unsecured garbage were reported to city staff.
“While this number is high, it represents almost a 60% decrease from violations in 2018, showing that more and more residents are doing a better job of managing their garbage,” the city said in a press release, noting they would be continuing to patrol neighbourhoods in 2020.
According to the Conservation Officer Service, as many as 31 bears were destroyed in the Tri-Cities in 2019. One of the bears was euthanized because it was sick or injured, but 30 were killed because they were in conflict with humans.
In a typical year, about 15 bears are destroyed. Statistics reported by The Tri-City News going back to 2006 show as few as a handful of bears had to be destroyed in 2007.
To report wildlife attractants or improperly secured attractants, call the city at 604-927-3500 or email [email protected]. To report an aggressive animal or wildlife causing property damage, call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277. For more information about city rules to limit animal attractants, go to www.coquitlam.ca/bearsmart.
