Bears coming back early
Drought conditions and fires are causing bears to show up in neighborhoods earlier than usual. says Meg Bjordal, WildSafeBC community co-ordinator for the Central Okanagan and Okanagan Westside,
“We’re anticipating that this year is going to be a very high conflict year,” said Bjordal who was at the WildsafeBC information booth in Hardy Falls Regional Park. “We are seeing bears in the communities about three weeks earlier than we would normally expect to see fall activity.”
With fall coming, bears are entering the hyperphasia phase, which means intense eating. Bears are foraging more and take in extra food as they need to increase their energy stores for winter by about 30%.
Bjordal said the fire situation and drought conditions may be reducing the natural food availability and putting some earlier pressure on the bears.
As well, those bears that were living in fireaffected areas have had to move habitat, so in the process there could be bears moving through the community.
“We’re already seeing a lot more bear activity than what we would expect to see,” said Bjordal.
She noted that a lot of the bears they are seeing are in good condition, so they aren’t food stressed yet, although that could change as fall progresses.
With bear activity higher, Bjordal stressed it’s important for residents to practise attractant management.
People should keep garbage stored securely in the garage or shed and wait until the morning of garbage day to put it out.
Bjordal stressed the importance of proper storage. “I think it’s a major piece of the puzzle that people haven’t necessarily made the connection between their actions and what results in bear conflicts,” she said.
As soon as bears have access to that food reward,
they keep coming back.
It causes food-conditioned bears, you get habituated bears that are used to people. then they’re a public safety risk and that’s the end of the story for the bear.
“No one wants that to happen,” said Bjordal “We want to keep both the bears and the people safe and everyone has an important role to play in that.”
Learn more online at wildsafebc.com.