If you say you love bears, then you should stop doing things to get them killed.
Because bears are, in fact, getting killed. A lot of them.
And not in some far-off, distant part of B.C., but really close to home.
According to an article in our sister paper, the Tri-City News, three bruins have already been destroyed in the Tri-Cities — one in Coquitlam and two in Anmore – with four more having already been destroyed in Maple Ridge.
And we’re barely even into bear season.
Bears are destroyed when they cause property damage and can’t be relocated.
“They had hit that threshold and were a safety risk,” said Sgt. Todd Hunter of the BC Conservation Officer Service, adding that bears are hungry after hibernation and are looking to fatten up.
In Burnaby, one place that has a lot of bears looking to find food is on Burnaby Mountain – I recently posted an article about two bears taking a stroll along the bushy side of Gaglardi Way, oblivious of the vehicles driving by. There is a large community on top of the mountain and a lot of homes at the base. There are many other areas in which homes border natural areas that provide a home for bears.
It’s up to all of these residents – myself included – to ensure there isn’t a food temptation that will encourage bears to enter residential neighbourhoods.
That means taking down bird feeders, locking up garbage and removing all fruits and pet food from the outdoors. I drove through the Forest Grove area the other day and saw two incidents of garbage cans with the lids open.
Hunter is quoted in the News article as being concerned people are posting bear concerns to Facebook rather than to the Report All Poachers and Polluters Line (1-877-952-7277). Not only will that not keep the bears safe, it could endanger the lives of humans.
So it’s really quite simple. Do everything you can to not attract bears with your garbage. Be responsible and lock everything up. Take extra precautions.
If you really love bears, you’ll do it.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
