Editor:
Before you make any decision on whether or not to call a conservation officer, please take the time to ask yourself “what” may have brought the bear onto your property in the first place? Are there attractants? Or is the bear simply just passing through?
Identify and “remove” or “secure” bear attractants: household garbage, bird feeders, smelly compost and organics, fruit and berries, root vegetables, chickens, feeding pets outdoors, food kept in outdoor fridges, freezers or vehicles, unwashed recycling containers, petroleum-based products, barbecues, even citronella candles or soiled diapers are potential bear attractants.
“Securing” attractants includes keeping items such as garbage stored inside; a properly installed electric fence to deter bears from chicken coops; a temporary electric fence for seasonal fruit trees, berries or crops; and keeping vehicle windows and doors closed and locked!
“Removing” attractants can include bringing bird feeders inside until late November; regular layering (browns or dolomite lime) and regular aeration of compost; picking fruit and berries and clearing windfall; feeding pets indoors; and emptying outdoor fridges and freezers.
If a bear doesn’t find a food reward on your property, the bear will keep moving through. If there is a lock-bar on your commercial or residential dumpster, please use it! Carabiners can also be used if there is no other locking device.
Always assume that a bear is in your area. Make noise before coming outside (especially at dawn or dusk) to alert the bear and give the bear time to move on.
Bears usually want to avoid humans. If they are treed or in your yard, please allow them an escape route and give them time to leave the area. Slowly back away, go inside (do not run) and consider using noise aversion to let the bear know she or he is not welcome.
Be smart about bears ... safer for you, safer for them.
K. Drescher, Gibsons,
Bear Awareness & Safety,
Sunshine Coast