Nelson’s WildSafe community coordinator, Lisa Thomson, is urging bear-smart habits after conservation officers were forced to fatally remove a male black bear from the city early this week.
Thomson said the bear’s behaviour was escalating, as he was starting to enter premises, break into sheds, and enter homes, posing a significant safety risk to the community.
“Our local COS shared with me that he was charging at people, as well as protecting food sources. There is evidence throughout town that he was getting into garbage, and there was even evidence to suggest that people were actually feeding this bear, which is very illegal. Unfortunately, the bear has paid with his life.”
The now-deceased bear is believed to be the same one that was featured in a video on social media showing him scavenging for garbage in front of Amanda’s Restaurant on Kootenay Street Saturday evening.
The video, posted by a community member from their car, sparked a debate on the proper way to interact with the animals.
Thomson said it’s crucial to give the animals space when you see them in close proximity.
“The video was great to show how a bear looks when it’s stressed and doesn’t have an exit. I know the videographer had said that they were in a vehicle, but that bear still saw that it wasn’t a safe exit to go down the stairs, and you can see how hesitant it is. We need to give them space,” she said.
“If we’re seeing animals around our yards, instead of taking videos of them and just allowing them to be there, we want to be able to haze them off and scream out the window. If we’re showing that they’re not welcome, then maybe they won’t be hanging around as much.”
Thomson said if you come across a bear while on foot, the first thing you should do is stop and talk to it to let it know you’re there. In most cases, the bear will move off in the other direction.
However, you should still hang back after it leaves and change directions in case it has cubs nearby.
Bear sightings don’t need to be reported to the RAPP line. People are encouraged to call the RAPP line only when bear encounters become negative, such as when a bear is getting into garbage or frequenting a certain area.
Thomson reminds residents that feeding wildlife is illegal and so are bird feeders during bear season.
She said there was evidence that this bear was being fed by community members after it was found sleeping in a compost bin on Vernon Street, behind the Jam Factory.
“Last week, there were several people just watching it sleep in a pile of compost down near the Jam Factory, and someone tossed a whole frozen chicken to it. It’s very disheartening to have this happen, especially this early in the season.”
Right now, the URSA project and the City of Nelson have teamed up to offer bear-proof bins at bulk cost, and Thomson is encouraging community members to consider investing in one in before registration closes on May 24.
“We just need to smarten up as a community and be more bear-aware and more conscious of what we are doing when we’re out, when we’re recreating in the wilderness, and also just in and around our own homes. It’s super important.”
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