Big bellied bears are wandering through the Tri-Cities as they look for last-minute calories before bedding down for the winter.
In Port Coquitlam, a bruin with a stomach so big it was nearly dragging on the ground was spotted on the north side of Port Coquitlam on Friday (Oct. 22) night.
Jon Bevan captured a video of the bear as it waddled through the Lincoln Park neighbourhood close to his home.
With its big girth, the bruin is reminiscent of the bears that were such a big social media hit during Fat Bear Week Sept. 29 to Oct. in Katmai National Park and Preserve.
DON'T LEAVE PUMPKINS ON DOOR STEPS
It could be a few more weeks before bears settle down in their dens in the Tri-Cities so Wildlife BC, a wildlife education organization, is reminding people not to leave pumpkins out for bruins to eat this Halloween.
Bears hibernate because there is no food available to them, not because of the cold; hibernation is an important survival strategy for them.
They will typically hibernate for three to five months on B.C.'s south coast and for longer periods (five to seven months) in the Interior.
As bears prepare for hibernation (typically in November or December in the Tri-Cities), it's important to eliminate all food attractants to ensure they don't hang around or decide to stay awake for the winter.
With only about six months to build up fat reserves, black bears must eat a great deal of food. They are particularly attracted to foods that are abundant and high in protein and calories and that they can get with little effort.
BEDDING DOWN FOR HIBERNATION
Bears may not necessarily travel far to hibernate and will burrow under stumps and logs in the mountainous terrain and greenbelts.
WildsafeBC recently posted a video of a bear den and how bruins use it as the weather changes.
