News Flash

City News

Posted on: March 29, 2023

Brush Up on Your Bear Smart Skills to Stay Safe

Black bear with yellow flowers

COQUITLAM, B.C., March 29, 2023 – With spring approaching and bears waking up and getting active, it’s a great time to make sure everyone in your household knows how to avoid unwelcome attention from wildlife.

Coquitlam is home to a variety of urban wildlife, and the City encourages residents to learn the simple but effective Bear Smart guidelines that help keep bears, coyotes and other animals away – including locking up all potential food sources and only setting out waste carts after 5:30 a.m. on collection day.

One of 10 official Bear Smart communities in B.C., Coquitlam uses a mix of education and enforcement to raise awareness and make sure everyone is doing their part to keep both bears and humans safe. 

A Few Bear Facts

A few things you may not know about bears:

  • Bears have a keen sense of smell, believed to be seven times better than a bloodhound. They can smell your dirty barbecue, food residue in your Green Cart, rotting fruit and unrinsed recyclables from very far away. 
  • When bears find an easy meal, they remember the location and will return again and again.
  • Bears that get used to eating unnatural food sources like garbage can lose their natural sense of fear and become unpredictable or defensive toward humans. 
  • Anything with a smell may attract a bear – even things that don’t smell tasty to people.

Become a Bear Smart Household

Start the journey to becoming a Bear Smart household by visiting www.coquitlam.ca/bearsmart for information about City regulations, educational videos, reporting methods and a chance to take the Bear Smart pledge. The website also provides Bear Smart guidelines:

  • Store Garbage, Green Carts and recycling in a garage or fully-enclosed structure inaccessible to wildlife, such as a heavy-duty shed or chain link fence with a roof.
  • Freeze meet and strong-smelling food scraps until collection day.
  • Put all food scraps in the Green Cart, not the Garbage Cart.
  • Place carts and recycling at the curb after 5:30 a.m. on collection day.
  • Keep your Green Cart and Garbage Cart clean between collection days.
  • Store freezers and refrigerators inside.
  • Keep pet food inside.
  • Pick ripe fruit and remove any fallen fruit immediately.
  • Suspend bird feeders and clean up fallen seed.
  • Limiting outdoor composting to yard waste and plant trimmings.
  • Keep barbeques clean.
  • Keep vehicles free of food, with windows closed and doors locked.

Enforcing Local Bear Regulations

Coquitlam was recognized as a Bear Smart community in 2017, and the City runs a year-round community education and outreach program to help residents understand and comply with local bear regulations. The City’s urban wildlife team conducts neighbourhood patrols, responds to complaints, and when necessary, enforces bylaws by issuing warnings and tickets. Property owners who do not comply with City bear regulations – even unintentionally – may receive a $500 fine. 

Coquitlam’s focus on bear and wildlife awareness is having a positive impact. Warnings and tickets have dropped considerably over the years, from 4,914 warnings and 450 tickets in 2017 to 843 warnings and 123 tickets in 2022.

Bear activity remains high, however, as unsecured garbage and carts left at the curb overnight continue to attract wildlife into neighbourhoods.  

Learn more about bear safety and City regulations at www.coquitlam.ca/bearsmart.

Reporting Bear Concerns

To report wildlife attractants, including improper waste storage, call the City at 604-927-3660 or email urbanwildlife@coquitlam.ca

To report a human-wildlife conflict or wildlife causing property damage, call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.

Media contact:
Caresse Selk
Manager Environment
604-927-3500
urbanwildlife@coquitlam.ca

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