Ignorance to blame for need to put bears down: officer

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NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Lazy people are killing bears in North Vancouver by not cleaning up after themselves, according to a frustrated from a conservation officer who says it is time to start doling out fines.

“The failure to manage garbage is just ignorance now,” argues Dave Cox, who’s tired of attending calls that could have been prevented.

“Seeing garbage strung about all over their properties, back yards… and homeowners just making excuses! To the point where they will even almost finish your sentence. You’ll be explaining this to them, thinking they are maybe not educated,” he sighs.

Cox tells us it seems to be very easy for people to point fingers but when it comes to bear conflicts, they need to be responsible.

New legislation introduced in November has made it easier for them to hand out fines.

“It’s a $230 ticket,” he explains. “We haven’t issued any of them yet but if we don’t see improvements and we don’t see anything change… well, there are certainly going to be changes to that right.”

Two bears were recently killed in the space of just one week because people did not listen to the warnings about their trash.

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