Conservation officers have shot and killed a black bear in Blueridge, less than a week after warning the public about keeping their yards clear of attractants.
Officers had been looking to trap that young male bear since last week, eventually locating the bruin in a backyard on Belloc Street on Tuesday evening where it had been hanging out all day, according to Sgt. Todd Hunter.
They first tried to haze the bear out of the yard but the animal proved totally habituated and unintimidated by people. Officers then hit it with a tranquilizer dart and the bear moved into a nearby ravine.
“He was put down,” Hunter said. “It was extremely habituated to unnatural food sources, going from yard to yard to yard, which was quite a concern for people. … A bear like that could become dangerous to people, for sure, if it got cornered by somebody coming home or startled.”
Hunter characterized the neighbourhood as being “just a mess” with bear attractants including garbage and unpicked fruit. The homeowner where the bear was discovered kept unsecured food in a backyard fridge.
“Being in North Vancouver, you should know better. Having an outdoor fridge is just asking for trouble,” Hunter said.
The bear had a history with run-ins with humans since it was an orphaned cub. In 2015, after its mother was struck and killed on Highway 1, officers took the bear to Critter Care Wildlife Society when it was spotted rummaging in the Beach House restaurant’s dumpster and grease traps.
“When I saw the ear tag, I had kind of a gut feeling it was one of the bears we sent to Critter Care,” Hunter said. “We did everything in our power. It’s just that it didn’t have any opportunity.”
While many residents are diligent, it just takes one to teach bears bad habits.
“When you leave (attractants) out… that bear has no hope at all at making these decisions that we hope they make. They don’t have that reasoning ability,” he said. “They need to put calories on. That’s all they know.”
Officers have been busy going from call to call but Hunter said he’s planning to send members back to a few “key residences” in Blueridge to start enforcing provincial laws against people who attract bears Officers can issue a $230 ticket on the spot. For people who haven’t complied with previous warnings or orders, that climbs to $575. In the most serious cases, it could go to court and result in a fine in the thousands of dollars.
There are other habituated bears in Blueridge, Hunter said, and the District of West Vancouver has also issued a warning regarding a family of bears spotted around Caulfeild.
“These bears keep looking for food in this neighbourhood, and they keep finding it,” said senior bylaw officer Paul Reece. “If this continues, these bears are likely to remain here, and if there is conflict between people and the bears, the most likely outcome is that the bears will be destroyed.”
Hunter said that is the last thing conservation officers want to see.
“You feel terrible. People are looking at you like you’re a killer. It’s not the case. It’s a case of ‘I have to, to maintain public safety,’” he said.
