A Guide to Coexisting with Bears from “Metro Vancouver” – a flyer we have at our house
Help keep bears wild
As Metro Vancouver grows, people are living, working and playing in closer proximity to bears. Understanding bear behavior helps keep people safe and bears wild.
We live in Bear Country
Bordering vast mountain wilderness, many Metro Vancouver regional parks and communities provide prime bear habitat.
Beyond boundaries
Curious and opportunistic, bears may travel hundreds of kilometers through all but hte most urbanized areas seekign seasonally available foods, safe cover, mates, and denning sites.
Room to roam
Bears use a patchwork of habitats and travel corridors – both natural and man-made. Although they prefer deep forest cover, bears are often spotted along roads, hiking trails, and at the edge of waterways.
Just passing through
A bear’s movements are dictated mostly by the availability of food. When the food supply is exhausted in one area, a bear will move on to the next. Bears are most often observed in the regional parks in summer and fall, when local berries and nuts ripen, and salmon are moving up the rivers to spawn.
It smells like….food!
Bears are not picky eaters. They eat almost anything and rarely pass up an easy meal – even if it means goign near humans to get it.
Black bears or grizzlies?
If you’re going to see a bear in this area, it will likely be a black bear. The wary grizzly prefers remote locations away from human activity.
A symbol of the wilderness
For many park visitors, it’s a thrill to see a bear in the wild – from a distance! Bears are an important part of the biodiversity of our region and are a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
We need your help!
Park staff reduce the risk of bear encounters by removing human sources of attractants that can get a bear into trouble. In parks and at home, keeping bears wild is everyone’s responsibility
It’s normal for bears to roam through urban areas, especially as development encroaches on wild spaces. The challenge is to keep bears from staying in urban areas. Garbage, BBQ’s, birdfeeders, and a host of other human-produced items can provide an irresistible feast.
Hungry as a Bear
Bears are driven by a powerful hunger. They are typically active from mid-March to November, but if food is available, they may be active year-round. Packing on a layer of fat helps to ensure a bear’s survival in winter, a bear may double its weight from the time it emerges from its den in the spring to the time it hibernates in the fall.
Bad habits are hard to break
Bears that associate food with human activities often lose their natural fear of humans. Becoming bolder and more aggressive in their search for food, bears can get into all kinds of mischief, putting themselves and people around them at risk.
An invitation to dinner
One meal from a backyard or garbage can is enough to bring a hopeful bear back again and again. And bears are smart: if they get a meal from your garbage can, the quickly learn to check every can in the neighborhood.
An Invisible map
Bears use their keep sense of smell to navigate the landscape, find food and mates, keep track of their cubs, avoid humans and sometimes other bears. Strong smells such as garbage may lure a bear from several kilometers away.
Avoiding unwanted dinner guests at your house
Store garbage in a secure building or bear-proof garbage container
Put out garbage on the morning of the pick up only
Keep barbeques clean and grease-free; do not leave food unattended
Pick berries and fruit as they ripen, pick up fallen fruit regularly
Remove outdoor freezers
Feed pets indoors
Remove bird feeders between April and November
Hang bird feeders higher than 3.3 meters above ground
Put away all petrol products including rubber, tarpaper, paint, turpentine, kerosene and lighter fluid; bears are drawn to these
Sprinkle compost with lime to decrease odors
Do not compost fruit or eggshells in summer or fall
Avoiding bear encounters
Travel in a group
Be alert where bears may not be able to see, hear, or smell you; on twisting trails, in dense brush, near running water, or when the wind is in your face
Avoid wearing strong perfumes
Keep children close to you at all times, don’t let them wander ahead or lag behind
Keep your dog on a leash at all times
Make noise to let bears know you are on the trail
Avoid wearing headphones
Watch for fresh bear signs
Never approach a bear, maintain a distance of at least 100 meters
But if I do see a bear?
Stay calm, stand still and assess the situation. Remember: Bear attacks are uncommon.
Speak to the bear in a calm firm voice; your voice helps to identify you as a human
Back away slowly and NEVER run; running may trigger a pursuit
Get your bear spray ready and know how to use it!
If a black bear attacks use bear spray and FIGHT BACK! Do all that it takes to let the bear know you are not easy prey!
