Conservation officers are reporting that the number of bear sightings in Sooke is three times higher than the norm for this time of year, and humans are at least partially to blame.
Most bears left their dens just three months ago, but officials have already received approximately 150 reports on the lumbering animals living in the area.
“Of those reports, the vast majority of them are bears in garbage, bears in garbage, bears in garbage,” said Conservation Officer Service.
Describing the reports as a “consistent story,” the calls are often frustrating for members of the COS because many of them could be prevented. This year’s increase in sightings is not due to climatic conditions but by a healthy population lured in by strong scents.
The bears that live on the fringe of urban areas are drawn into neighbourhoods populated by humans by attractants and human food sources. Bears have a sense of smell about 50 times greater than humans. And once they’ve been habituated to the new food sources like unsecure garbage or overripe tree fruits, they won’t leave.
“In all accounts, unfortunately, bears suffer because of bad habits on the part of humans,” say the Conservation Officer Services. “Can’t blame the bears – they’re just following their noses… We really need the public to step up and talk to their neighbours and make sure there’s no attractants.”
So far, four of the bears spotted this year have been put down due to conflicts. However, with so many habituated bear sightings and with fruit season on the way, the number could climb if people are irresponsible.
“As a community we need to take ownership of the problem,” and all should be encouraging people to talk to their neighbours if they see something wrong.
Those with fruit trees need to pick ripening produce as soon as possible, and that all other food sources, including barbecues, bird feeders and garbage, must be secured.
Wild Wise Sooke recommends freezing meat and strong-smelling food scraps until collection day, using wildlife clips on green carts, and keeping pet food, refrigerators and freezers indoors.
Bears can seek out these foods, regardless of their proximity to human activity; they can develop a high tolerance to human presence if there is food available. Garbage contributes to how bears can become habituated. From a public safety perspective, bears can become so engrossed in eating, they become unaware of human activity, and can be easily startled. This can elicit a defensive type response from the bear, particularly females with cubs.
The most important reason to be Bear Wise is to protect people and bears. However, being Bear Wise can protect our local community and keep us safe and wildlife wild. We can successfully reduced human-bear conflicts by adopting Bear Wise practices. Many communities see human-bear conflicts reduced by 70 per cent when they adopted Bear Wise principles.
We can experience a significant drop in human-bear conflicts within a few months of implementing Wild Wise Sooke -Bear Wise practices.
Urban Wildlife Conflict Specialist
WILD WISE SOOKE
Be Bear Wise
Keeping our community safe and wildlife wild