If you’re out enjoying some physically distanced nature strolls in Burnaby, stay alert – the season of bear encounters is upon us.
Violet Holmes wrote in to alert NOW readers about the bear pair – an adult and cub – she saw on the Burnaby Lake trail on Friday, June 5 at around 1:20 p.m. She was nearing the Headwaters Bridge, coming from the Nature House and Field House, when she spotted them heading towards her on the trail no more than 25 feet away.
“I stayed calm, backed up slowly and kept backing up, saying ‘OK OK OK’ several times, until they finally veered off into the bush toward the railway tracks,” Holmes wrote.
Holmes notes she’s seen bears in the city before, on the Deer Lake trail three years ago, and she reported the sighting.
The British Columbia Conservation Foundation’s Wildlife Alert Reporting Program has a map showing reported wildlife encounters in the province. That map shows at least 19 different bear encounters in Burnaby since the beginning of May, most notably in the Forest Grove area, around Deer Lake Park and in the wooded area around Robert Burnaby Park.
You can find the map at warp.wildsafebc.com/warp.
The City of Burnaby has also published information sheets about urban wildlife for residents.
Their information about bears reminds residents that the animals are naturally curious and are attracted by food and garbage.
“They are ruled by their stomachs; therefore, if they cannot find food easily, they generally leave the area,” the information sheet notes. “Foraging in urban neighbourhoods is a learned behaviour that threatens the safety of both the bears and the residents of that community. It’s important we do our part in keeping garbage and other attractants like bird feeders and compost away from bears to prevent them from lingering in our urban areas.”
Anyone who spots a bear is asked to report it to the toll-free provincial call centre at 1-877-952-7277.
The City of Burnaby also offers the following tips for what to do if you encounter a bear:
- Remain calm.
- Face the bear without making eye contact and back away slowly. Never approach, chase or run away from the bear.
- Stand tall with your arms overhead, talk in a gruff voice, and look for a weapon such as a rock or stick.
- If the bear makes blowing or snorting noises and then charges and veers off at the last second, this is likely defensive behaviour, so continue to back away.
- If an attack does occur, fighting back has proven effective in some cases.
