Food shortage could force bears towards your garbage

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Fall doesn’t officially start for a little over three weeks but you can already feel a chill in the air and bears around the Lower Mainland are gearing up for hibernation

Conservation Officer Todd Hunter warns many of the animals in this region could find themselves short of food this year because of a lower-than-normal salmon run in local streams and rivers.

He notes natural food sources like fruits and berries are already drying up, leaving your trash as their main target. “They’re going to need a lot of calories to pack on the fat reserves to get them through. That’s why the garbage is appealing to them because it smells of calories.”

Hunter says they won’t go into hibernation until the rain arrives for good, meaning between now and then, your garbage would make an enticing meal. “They are going to be affected this year…..so just make sure you are following all your bylaws with respect to pick-up and making sure that [bears] are not going to get at it.”

He adds anyone living in an area where bears have been spotted should be following the Metro Vancouver Zero-Waste program.

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