Be Bear Aware

There are a lot of bears in and around the community searching for food, especially this time of the year. Please be bear aware and:

• Make noise when walking outdoors;

• Do not wear headphones when going for a walk or run;

• Keep children close to you;

• Watch for signs of bears;

• Never approach or feed a bear; and

• Keep your dog on a leash.

Bears that have accessed human food tend to become more aggressive and are often destroyed in the interest of human safety. Here are 10 tips provided by WildSafeBC to reduce conflict with bears:

• Store your garbage in a locked shed or garage at all times, except during collection day.

• Put your garbage out as close to collection time as possible.

• Harvest all fruit as it ripens and pick up any windfall fruit.

• Consider pruning your fruit tree if there is too much fruit.

• Ensure your bird feeders have been taken down - only feed birds in the winter.

• Secure all outdoor fridges and freezers, or keep them in a locked shed or garage.

• Ensure pet food and livestock feed is secured.

• Use electric fencing to protect chickens, bees and other small livestock.

• Clean your BBQ after each use and store in a garage of locked shed.

• Compost only vegetable scraps.