People dumping their household garbage in and around commercial bins in Gibsons have created “feeding grounds” for the bears, and the large animals have started showing up on a nightly basis, Bond Tsang, the property manager at Sunnycrest Mall, told the newspaper this week.
“We do our part by locking up the bins at night,” Tsang said. “However, there are a few people who bring their garbage at night and leave it beside the locked bins.”
Tsang said the problem is a concern for three reasons:
• “As soon as it’s dark, we have noticed a few bears in the area sniffing our garbage bins; our staff are afraid that there might be one lurking around (and this has happened a couple of times) when they go to lock the bins at night.
• “The high school is right beside us and this is a safety concern for the kids.
• “If the bears get comfortable, they might start coming during the day.”
In November 2008, a large adult black bear had been raiding the garbage bins at Sunnycrest Mall for about two weeks, prompting a series of complaints. On the evening of Nov. 17, the bear was seen rummaging through the bins and the RCMP were called in. The Mounties, concerned about public safety, approached the bear in the loading dock area and opened fire. The bear was wounded and ran into the parking lot. The Mounties chased it and shot it to death. The incident was widely reported in the media and caused a public outcry over the destruction of the bear.
“We’d hate to see a bear get killed and I have a feeling that some people aren’t aware of what their actions are doing,” Tsang concluded.
Garbage is sometimes a fatal attraction for bears – and yes, sadly, it’s quite conceivable that people who think it’s clever to toss their garbage at the mall in drive-by fashion haven’t given much thought to the cause-and-effect relationship. Perhaps someone reading this can tell them. Or draw them a picture using crayons.
Beyond random dumping, unsecured garbage in general remains the number one wildlife attractant identified in WildSafeBC’s 2017 annual report for the Sunshine Coast. Fortunately, most people get it. Of 2,708 homes checked between May and November for garbage bins put out the night before scheduled pickup, yellow warning stickers were placed on only 16. Follow-up visits found very few repeat offenders. However, it doesn’t take many bad apples to bring the bears to town.
With the Town of Gibsons introducing curbside organic waste collection on March 1 and the Sunshine Coast Regional District moving toward an ultimate ban on organics in residential garbage, the potential for problems with dumping, mishandling attractants and improper composting is only going to climb.
Here’s hoping the bears can survive the learning curve.
