Fruit season is in full swing and the bears are back. You can help reduce the number of bears destroyed in your community by properly managing garbage and other food sources like the fruit on your trees.
At this time of the year bears need to fatten up for the winter when they go into hibernation. They need to eat a lot and trees full of fruit will entice them to come into town and fill up on this very nutritious food.
If there is no food around for the bears, they might check your garden out, but leave and move on.
Please pick your fallen fruit daily and pick fruit off the trees as soon as possible. If you need help doing so, or you don’t want the fruit at all, please phone me and we will arrange to have your fruit picked. The fruit will then be donated to the local food bank or the food recovery program. My phone number is 604-860-4558 or donate the fruit directly to the local food bank – call 604-869-2466 ext. 403 and talk to Kim Paolini.
If you need your fruit, think about using electric fencing to keep the bears out.
If you encounter a bear in your yard: stay calm, give the bear plenty of space to escape; go back into your house with your kids and pets and make lots of noise from a safe place; call your neighbours and advise them about the presence of the bear.
Once the bear is out of the area, make sure you are not inviting it to come back by having attractants such as fruit, garbage, bird feeders or pet food on your property.
Make sure you and your neighbours are following the rules for bear proofing your properties – they will only be successful if everyone works together.
If you need more information, feel free to contact me any time or visit www.bearaware.bc.ca.
Lydia Koot, Chair of the Hope Mountain Black Bear Committee