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P RO U D LY S E RV I N G T H E C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 9 4 8
Vol. 68, No. 26
Town tackles troublesome bear
A large black bear has been spotted numerous times in the past week in residential neighbours, and was also seen walking on the KVR. Photo John Moody Andrea DeMeer
The Town of Princeton is investigating the feasibility of replacing its garbage containers with bear proof receptacles. The move comes after a large black bear has been repeatedly spotted, photographed and videoed digging through garbage cans along the KVR through town and in residential neighborhoods. Princeton is being pro-active, said Mayor Spencer Coyne. “I’ve asked staff to give us a report back on what it’s going to cost to replace the garbage cans. We have a Wildsafe BC coordinator who does education and we are looking into how
to become a Bear Smart Community,” he said. Coyne said it is not yet known how many garbage cans the municipality owns, however an audit is being conducted. Bears are a problem not unique to Princeton. “Everyone in the province is reporting it,” said Coyne. More than 3,800 calls have been placed to B.C.’s RAPP line for black bear conflicts since April. That’s compared to the seasonal average of 2,400. A further 180 calls were for grizzly bear conflicts. According to B.C. Conversation Officer Service deputy chief Chris Doyle the increase in bear incidents is due to dry conditions forcing bears to turn to urban areas to hunt for food.
Coyne urged residents to cooperate with efforts to reduce bear attractants. “People need to be vigilant and keep their garbage inside because it isn’t just town garbage cans.” According to the conservation service bears have injured a total of 222 people across B.C. between 1986 and 2018 with 50 recorded injuries between 2016 and 2018. In the fall of 2018 four black bears were captured in Princeton and destroyed. Feeding bears is hazardous to people and bears, which may come onto roads looking for food or become aggressive, and is an offence under B.C.’s Wildlife Act. Penalties can be as high as $100,000 in fines and one year in prison.
The Bear Smart Community program has been designed by the Ministry of Environment in partnership with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. It is a voluntary, preventative conservation measure that encourages communities, businesses and individuals to work together. This program is based on a series of criteria that communities must achieve in order to be recognized as being “Bear Smart”. The responsibility to manage human-bear conflicts rests with everyone; Bear Smart will require participation from the provincial government, municipal governments, and local citizens to be successful.
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