Bear Smart A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear
Last spring a large bear was trapped and destroyed in Lions Bay. This is the first bear that has been destroyed in the Village since 2000.
The yellow tag piercing the bear’s ear was numbered so it was identifiable. According to Sergeant Chris Doyle of the Conservation Officers Service (COS), this bear had accessed residential garbage and attempted to break into homes and sheds in West Vancouver in 2010. When the complaints escalated last year, the COS trapped, tranquilized, tagged its ear and relocated this bear to a designated wilderness area.
The same bear arrived here in May 2011 in the Timbertop area and immediately began trying to access garbage. Reports described a very large bear with a yellow ear tag breaking into sheds and charging residents to protect found garbage. The bear continued accessing garbage and acting aggressively towards residents as it moved down to Mountain and then Bayview Place. The calls from concerned residents about this bear’s dangerous behaviour increased and the COS placed a baited culvert trap at the end of Bayview Place. After a few days the bear entered the trap and was subsequently destroyed.
A bear destroyed in the Village was especially disappointing to the Lions Bay Bear Smart Committee. This group has been educating residents about bear food attractants since 2004. The Council appointed committee currently includes volunteers Norma Rodgers and Birgitta von Krosigk, Councillor Ruth Simons, Village Administrator Alex Hejduk and Sergeant Chris Doyle of the COS. At a recent Bear Smart meeting members discussed the destroyed bear and the success this bear experienced feeding on residential garbage. Members, including Sgt Doyle, determined that the residents who allowed this bear to access human food needed more bear education.
The Village is fortunate to have a working relationship with the COS. The COS spends a great deal of time attending Bear Smart meetings, patrolling neighbourhoods when bears or cougars become dangerous and providing education to residents. Conservation Officers recently performed attractant patrols in Lions Bay. On July 19th and 20th CO’s visited 76 residences and inspected the properties for bear attractants. Out of 76 properties, 55 or 72% had no evidence of bear attractants. 21 or 27% of the properties had attractants, mostly unsecured or poorly stored garbage. Officers spent time speaking to residents where properties had bear attractant issues. Compliance was achieved through education, officer presence, enforcement action and handing out Bear Smart pamphlets to residents who required assistance or reminders. Three of the properties required additional follow up to achieve compliance.
The Provincial Government prohibits attracting dangerous wildlife and Conservation Officers may issue Dangerous Wildlife Protection Orders (DWPO) if residents attract wildlife. Failure to remove indicated attractants within a specified time will result in a $575 fine. One DWPO was issued to a Lions Bay resident during July’s attraction audit. Once the ticket was issued the resident complied by cleaning up all the attractants accessed by wildlife and moving the garbage/recycling into a bear proof enclosure.
Thank you to everyone who has taken steps to become Bear Smart by eliminating or reducing bear attractants! Continued progress will reduce the risk that another bear is able to access unnatural human food in our Village - which as we have witnessed can result in tragic consequences.
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