White Pine Beach still closed after a bear roamed across the sand

BELCARRA (NEWS 1130) – For the second time in recent weeks, a part of Belcarra Regional Park is closed due to a bear in the area.

Metro Vancouver says White Pine Beach remains closed after the animal was spotted over the weekend. The beach was closed Sunday morning after multiple reports of a bear searching for food.

The BC Conservation Officer Service says it received several reports about the bear, which it says has been getting close to people and their unattended food. The service says the bear appears to be very habituated to human food and is reluctant to leave the area.

A trap has been set up on the beach.

The beach is still accessible by foot, but food has been banned. The picnic area also had restrictions on cooking devices such as outdoor grills.

“We have to assess the bear and determine what it has done and all of it’s history, but right now the most pressing thing is to remove it from the area and the assessment will occur when the bear is trapped and in a place we can contain it and not have to worry about the risk to public safety,” conservation officer Eric Tyukodi said.

The Lower Mainland has not seen an increase in bear sightings this year, according to Tyukodi.

“With more people moving into the Lower Mainland and more developments happening in these animals’ natural habitat, these issues will begin to be reported on more and more because that’s kind of par for the course,” he said. “We’re surrounded by lots of good bear habitat.

Wildsafe BC continues to work with municipalities to establish green way paths for bears and synchronized garbage pickups to minimize wildlife attractants, and cities have urban wildlife coordinators who work with bylaw enforcement to make sure people are following the rules.

Tyukodi said messaging about protecting properties from wildlife seems to be getting through to people, however, sometimes enforcement is necessary.

He says anyone out hiking, having a picnic or in the parks should eat food quickly, pick up garbage and not leave food unattended, to deter bears from accessing food.

Metro Vancouver says for anyone who encounters a bear, stay calm, make plenty of noise and slowly back away. Animals should also be kept on leashes.

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