Being careful with your garbage is key to keeping bears away
Posted March 10, 2012 2:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Warming temperatures have bears waking up from hibernation around the Lower Mainland and that means you need to be extra careful where you keep your garbage.
The North Shore Black Bear Network has some tips on how to keep the bears away in areas frequented by the animals.
“Keep any smelly garbage — meat leftovers, fish leftover, meat wrappings — put them in a little bag and keep them in the fridge or freezer until the day of pick-up,” explains the Network’s Tony Webb. Dirty diapers and bird feeders also provide an easy food source for bears.
He adds it’s also key to keep garbage inside until the morning of collection.
“Don’t leave garbage out curbside overnight. In many of the municipalities now there are bylaws prohibiting that, but some people still do it unfortunately.”
About 20 bruins had to be put down around Metro Vancouver last year. Webb says garbage is the main reason bears become habituated to humans and that is when they usually have to be killed by conservation officers.
