Conservation officer Murray Smith has shot five problem bears on the Coast in the past three weeks. All were in and around neighbourhoods in Pender Harbour, Langdale, Gibsons, Sechelt and Davis Bay, scavenging for garbage, fruit, household compost or birdseed left out by property owners.
The bears were becoming more aggressive and had lost their fear of people, which Smith said is a disturbing trend."No one likes to see bears destroyed, including conservation officers," said Smith.
"Providing a bear with a source of unnatural food, intentionally or not, is often the equivalent of signing that bear's death warrant."
He explained that once a bear is feasting on garbage or compost, it becomes "food conditioned" and loses its fear of people.
Bears who don't fear people are more likely to attack them, which is one of the main reasons Smith said he could not relocate the five bears he destroyed.
"Because of the loss of fear of humans and the association of non-natural food with humans, there is a pretty good chance they would attack," said Smith.
Cutbacks to conservation budgets also makes relocation of bears difficult. Smith said even if he had the budget, he wouldn't have anywhere locally to take the bears.
"I do not wish to destroy these bears, but I have no choice. There is nowhere on the Sunshine Coast to relocate bears due to geographical barriers," said Smith.
"The solution to this problem is to stop the cycle of habituation and conditioning by people. Garbage must be stored inside a building and sealed in a manner that will not allow odours to escape. Fruit trees should be picked in August if not used and for those using their fruit, it must be picked as soon as ripe and before it falls to the ground. Composting should be limited to green, leafy yard waste as opposed to household wastes. Bird feeders must be placed 15 feet in the air to ensure a bear cannot reach the birdseed," said Smith.
In the past month, Smith has received over 100 complaints about bears in local neighbourhoods. He said people need to take ownership of the role they play in the problem.
"We live in bear country. By taking simple steps to reduce encounters, we can safely share this space," he said.
