Bear season on North Shore off to a busy start

NORTH SHORE (NEWS 1130) – A boost in hiking popularity on the North Shore, brought on by the pandemic, is apparently pressuring the local bears to look for food away from the forest and into human communities.

The North Shore Black Bear Society is warning we may see more of the animals in our neighbourhoods.

Executive Director Luci Cadman says it’s been an “incredibly busy” start to the season.

“In fact, we’ve actually had bear activity over the winter here on the North Shore. We’ve provided education to residents across North and West Vancouver,” she said.

Cadman says male bears usually stay in their dens until March.

“In mid-February, we identified at least nine bears that were active in communities across the North Shore,” she said.

Related articles:

• Grizzly bears prefer walking on gentle slopes at a leisurely pace like humans: study

• ‘Caught bear-handed’: Port Moody police met by unlikely suspect

She says those bears went straight from their dens to communities where they found unnatural food sources.

Cadman is reminding you that garbage, bird seed, and pet food can be attractants. You are advised not to put out the garbage for collection early, as bears will likely look for residential food sources in the months ahead.

She says if people don’t take steps to keep bears away from residential areas, the animals can become a nuisance for people in the area.

“The consequences for bears … is that they will be killed for finding food from humans,” Cadman said.

Related video:

The society gets multiple reports of bears getting into garbage on a daily basis.

“It’s very, very normal to see them during the daytime,” Cadman noted. “We’ve had a few reports of people seeing bears during the day and think that’s not typical behaviour, but it absolutely is.

Advice via @NSBBSociety:

Hike?
– talk or make noise
– be aware of surroundings
– dog on a leash

Home attractants?
– garbage (don't put out early)
– bird seed
– pet food

— Tim James (@TimJamesPlus) April 23, 2021

She says the bears in that area are intelligent animals and are comfortable with people “at a certain distance.”

“We should never approach these animals, but we’re letting people know, too, that we shouldn’t expect them to run away when they see people. That really is a waste of energy. By nature, these animals are calm and peaceful,” she said.