Dear Editor:
I read your article in the Wednesday, Dec. 3 paper, Plucky Tween Cries Fowl at Bylaw, and I am eager to make a clarification.
Yes, the North Shore Black Bear Society has had the opportunity to meet with some very dedicated and knowledgeable people who raise chickens in the City of North Vancouver.
Regardless, a bear has an extraordinary sense of smell, and the North Shore Black Bear Society knows that chicken coops are bear attractants. We know that bears travel along wildlife corridors and appear in residential areas when they smell food.
The North Shore Black Bear Society has consistently recommended properly installed and maintained electric fencing as a bylaw requirement when a North Shore municipality considers endorsing backyard chickens.
Christine Miller
Education co-ordinator, North Shore Black Bear Society
