Coquitlam supports the provincial Bear Aware program to help raise awareness of bears in the community and the steps residents can take to minimize the interface between bears and people.
Be Bear Aware!
Please click here for more information on Bear Aware.
More than 1,000 bears are killed every year in British Columbia because of bear-human conflicts. Almost all of these bears were attracted into neighbourhoods by improperly stored garbage and other attractants.
Exposure to humans causes bears to lose their natural fear of people. When this happens, bears become a potential threat.
Did You Know?
- Bears naturally go into hibernation in the winter when their food source runs out. However, many local bears no longer hibernate for the winter because of the easy access to food (garbage and other attractants) year round.
- Bears have an incredible sense of smell. They can smell garbage and other potential food sources over great distances. When bears learn that garbage means food, they come back to it again and again. Our odour remains on the garbage, so bears learn to associate people with food. This is dangerous. These bears may become aggressive, expecting food every time they see or smell people.
- Garbage is not healthy for bears. Their natural diet consists mostly of berries, green vegetation, roots, insects, grubs and carrion. Garbage, on the other hand, can cause injuries such as cuts and ingestion of harmful plastics, glass or chemicals as well as changing their natural behaviour around people.
- When bears become conditioned to garbage and other non-natural foods, often the only practical solution is to kill them. Relocation is usually unsuccessful and is dangerous and expensive.
- Don't let a bear feel comfortable in your yard. Ensure the bear has a clear and safe avenue of escape. From a safe place (balcony or window) stand facing the bear; making yourself look as big as possible. Use a firm tone of voice to make it feel uncomfortable and encourage it to leave. You can also try banging together pots and pans. Once the bear leaves the area, remove any food sources that might have attracted it.
Bears are not the problem...we are.
The prime reason bears and people come into conflict is improper care of garbage and other attractants. We need to eliminate the source of the problem - our behaviour. People and bears are sharing space all over British Columbia. The bears cannot change, but we can. We can prevent conflict by making a few simple changes in our daily routine. Make it your responsibility to make our communities safer and to prevent the unnecessary killing of bears.
What to do if you see a bear in your neighbourhood.
- Remain calm. Often, the bear is just passing through and, if it finds no food source, will simply move on.
- Keep away from the bear. Warn others to keep away as well, and bring your children and pets into the house.
- If the bear appears to be threatening human safety, pets or livestock; or destroying property, call police, or the Conservation Officer at: 1.877.952.7277. The Conservation officer is a professional and has been trained to deal with wildlife.
- If you encounter a bear at close range, make yourself look big, group together, speak calmly, and back away slowly preferably in the direction you came from. Don't run.
- For more information or to report improperly stored garbage or other attractants call Bear Aware staff at: 604.927.6317.
To report an aggressive bear (bluff charging, damaging property, etc), please call the conservation officer service at 1-877-952-7277.
Homeowner's Checklist
Bear-proof your home:
Garbage - keep garbage inaccessible to bears until garbage pick-up day. To ensure that garbage is inaccessible to bears, store it indoors, in a very sturdy shed or in a bear resistant garbage container.
Fruit Trees - Make your fruit inaccessible to bears by picking fruit as it ripens and be sure to gather and dispose of any fallen fruit.
Bird feeders - During Bear season (April to November) bird feeders should be managed carefully. This can be done in the following ways:
- Remove bird feeders when there is a bear in your neighbourhood.
- Keep bird feeder areas free of debris and seeds.
- Take bird feeders down at night.
Barbeque - Burn off the grill after each use, cover the barbeque and store it in a secure area.
Pet food - Bring pet food dishes inside and store pet food inside.
If you see a bear…
- Don't panic. Bears are looking for food and will usually try to avoid encountering people.
- Keep away from the bear and bring children and pets indoors.
- Never approach or run away from the bear.
- Warn others of the bear's presence.
- If the bear climbs a tree, keep people and pets away. The bear will eventually come down when it feels safe. The bear may stay in the tree until dark but people should avoid making lots of noise or causing the bear undue stress in any other way.
- Remove all possible attractants from your yard. (see above)