Bruin family’s arrival raises major concerns
Just seven months after a heartbreaking incident that saw conservation officers destroy five bears in the Wiltse neighbourhood, fresh concerns are emerging about a new family of black bears that seems to have taken up residence in the area.
“These bears have a chance right now to stay wild and stay in the greenbelt area and to stay out of people’s way,” Sgt. James Zucchelli of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Wednesday.
“Once they lose their fear of people, it’s a terrible road.”
Zucchelli implored people to ensure they’re doing their part to protect the bears by controlling attractants that draw the animals into populated areas in the first place.
“We want people to have a good look at themselves in the mirror and say: ‘Am I contributing to the public safety leaving my garbage out or my attractants out or my compost out?’” said Zucchelli.
He also suggested people who see bears wandering in residential areas make the bruins feel unwelcome by honking car horns to scare them off.
“We just want people to keep these bears wild and not make them feel comfortable in their communities,” said Zucchelli.
The new bear family is believed to consist of a sow and four or five cubs. She was photographed last week just south of the Wiltse neighbourhood near a new development called The Bluffs.
Zucchelli said he’s aware of the new arrivals, but hasn’t received any reports of them causing trouble, so conservation officers are monitoring the situation for now.
Ernst Schneider, who took the family photograph, snapped it while hiking about 500 to 750 metres from his home on Penrose Court.
The sow “was not the least bit concerned. There was no sign of her being nervous about us. The cubs were totally oblivious,” he said.
Schneider never got closer than about 30 metres though, and the sow was keeping an eye on him as she and the cubs appeared to be bedding down for the night in a thick patch of brush popular with other animals.
He lives about one kilometre from where the five bears were destroyed near Wiltse Elementary School in October 2019 after they became hooked on garbage that was being left out by residents and even chased a man.
“I hope people have learned a lesson from that,” said Schneider. “My take on this is the wildlife was here long before we were, and let’s just get along with them. I think we should enjoy the wildlife.”
Zucchelli said conservation officers “aren’t the garbage police,” so communities have to work together to make sure everyone buys into a bear-safe program. He suggested the Wildsafe BC website as a good starting point at www.wildsafebc.com.
Those not following the rules, plus any concerning bear encounters, can be reported by calling 1-877-952-7277.
“The very last thing the Conservation Officer Service wants to have to do is respond to a situation where we have to put these bears down,” said Zucchelli. “That’s the last thing we want to do.”