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CONTACT BEAR AWARE
Kendra Wiberg
BC Conservation Foundation
200A-1383 McGill Rd
Kamloops BC V2C 6K7
250 828-2551
bearawareprogram@bccf.com

Bear Aware™ is a registered trademark of the
British Columbia Conservation Foundation.
Any reproduction or use of the name or logo
without permission is prohibited by law.

Bear Aware™ is an educational program
designed to prevent and reduce conflicts
between people and bears in our communities.

While most of us enjoy beautiful BC's wildlife, we don't want bears in our backyards! Both people and bears would be better off if there were fewer bears in our towns. Because bears are simply animals seeking whatever food they can find, the onus is on us to prevent conflicts. If we all took more responsibility for our garbage, tree fruit and kitchen compost the bear "problem" would largely disappear, as it has in many jurisdictions.

In the last decade, thousands of black bears and hundreds of grizzlies have been killed. Millions of tax dollars have been spent addressing the issue of bears that have become conditioned to feeding on food sources we provide. Relocating bears or killing them in unprecedented numbers has not reduced the problem.Our goal is to keep bears out of our communities, thereby preventing conflicts between people and bears. Past efforts at "bear management" have missed the point. Bears come into our neighbourhoods because they are searching for the foods that their noses tell them are there. Bears don't seek to confront people, but they persistently seek out the food which is readily available in our communities: a bear's nose is accurate and has pretty good range. We attract bears with smells of household garbage, un-harvested tree-fruit, pet-food, compost and barbecues. There is a limited number of strategies to deal with the odours. However, evidence indicates that if curious bears are never rewarded with a taste of garbage or fruit, they would continue to direct their foraging to natural settings, away from human habitation. Securing urban food sources so that newly-attracted bears don't learn old routines will protect people and bears, and save tax dollars too.

People have a wide range of tolerance for bears. Some people allow bears to get too close - inviting trouble, while others report every bear they see. Many bears are just passing through our towns looking for food. If these bears don't find rewards they soon move on and may never return. Whatever your personal comfort level, when a bear does get too close, we justifiably feel threatened. People's safety comes first. Do not run or yell; just go calmly indoors, warn your neighbours, and call a conservation officer. Not all bears represent the same level of threat. While grizzly bears are much more rare, they may be tempted by the same smells as black bears. Grizzly bears respond to threats differently from black bears and can generally be considered more dangerous. This makes Grizzlies even less compatible with people and towns, and partially explains why the range of the North American Grizzly Bear has been shrinking over the last 150 years.

Bears take advantage of whatever food is available in their home range. They are attracted by sights, sounds, memories, and particularly smells. Bears can smell garbage from a mile away and if they are rewarded with an easy meal they learn very quickly to repeat behaviours. In effect, we teach them to come into our towns. Wild bears normally have a fear of people. If they are allowed to forage for food near us, they can quickly become habituated to our presence and become more bold in their actions. Soon enough, whether it is a black bear or a grizzly, someone will feel threatened. Once a bear learns to forage near people, it is usually too late to discourage the bear.

and that is how a fed bear becomes a dead bear.

A bear that is dead has learned nothing; killing it does not solve the problem. We people fail to recognize our errors and do not change our habits. Once the bear is killed, our problem seems to be solved. No longer does that "problem bear" tear the branches off the fruit trees, or spread garbage across the lawn. We go back to leaving our garbage outside and neglecting to harvest our fruit; it's business as usual. We even let the grease build up on our barbecues. Sooner or later all of these scents draw another bear. "Why don't the bears ever learn?" we wonder.

We can live more compatibly with bears. Bear Aware has been successful in many communities, educating and motivating people to adopt and establish new habits that show greater respect for our communities and the bears that live nearby.

Please be Bear Aware: help to bear-proof your property and your community. Keeping bears out of the town keeps everyone safer.