Irresponsible waste management has claimed another local black bearB次元官网网址檚 life on the West Coast.
A bear was killed in Tofino on Saturday, Oct. 1 after frequenting unsecured attractants at local restaurants. It was the eighth food-conditioned bear killed in the region this year. Two more have been killed in highway traffic collisions.
Local WildSafeBC coordinator Bob Hansen said he had spoken with restaurants prior to the shooting, warning them about the potential outcome of unsecured attractants.
B次元官网网址淔or a lot of people, what transpired on Saturday seems to be a theoretical situation. Then, when it does play out, itB次元官网网址檚 very traumatic. ItB次元官网网址檚 very upsetting for the community and staff find themselves in an unsafe situation going out to a bin that has a lid popped open and a bear inside of it,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淭hen it becomes all too real, but at that point in time, the outcome is very likely to be what happened. So you quickly go from a theoretical to being right in the midst of a very intense situation that has drastic outcomes. So, the question is how do we convince people just to fulfil that responsibility and that the responsibility lies with them?B次元官网网址�
Tofino resident Brad Dusseault lives next to the restaurant where the bear was killed and said the animal had been frequenting a dumpster that was routinely being left unsecured.
B次元官网网址淭he large beautiful bear was literally inside the dumpster eating,B次元官网网址� he said, adding his deck overlooks the dumpster and he and his two grandkids had a front row view of its last meal that morning.
He said he spoke with bylaw officers at the scene who advised him to take his grandkids away as the bear was going to be shot.
B次元官网网址淯nfortunately the bear was shot right behind my house in the neighbourB次元官网网址檚 front yard. The young woman came home not knowing what was going on and there was a dead bear that had been dragged out of her front yard onto her driveway waiting to be picked up,B次元官网网址� he said.
He said he has spoken with his local council and acknowledged work is being done by both the bylaw department and WildSafeBC to cut down on unsecured attractants, but he hopes to see those efforts boosted.
B次元官网网址淚 want to expedite it and make it a bigger issue and make it so that these attractants are minimized,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏asically weB次元官网网址檙e baiting bears to come into the village and then weB次元官网网址檙e shooting them. ItB次元官网网址檚 got to stopB次元官网网址B次元官网网址檓 not coming from a place of malice or being judgmental. IB次元官网网址檓 just trying to make our community a better, safer place for locals, tourists and certainly for the wildlife.B次元官网网址�
He added it was a traumatic experience for his grandkids, ages 8 and 11.
B次元官网网址淲e did a little candle vigil the next night because they were really upset about it and shaken,B次元官网网址� he said.
Weekly garbage collection in Tofino and Ucluelet is done by Ozzard Environmental and Hansen said Ozzard provides its clients with bear proof bins, but those bins only work if people take the time to properly secure them.
B次元官网网址淚f the bar is up but thereB次元官网网址檚 no lock or carabiner, the bear just flips it down and pops up the lid and then climbs in,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淓verything has been provided. ItB次元官网网址檚 a simple action that takes a few seconds every time the garbage is taken out.B次元官网网址�
HansenB次元官网网址檚 co-coordinator at WildSafeBC Marianne Paquette said she conducted a two-hour survey on the afternoon after the bear was killed and found 17 instances of unsecured attractants in downtown Tofino.
B次元官网网址淲e thought it was a good opportunity with this bear going around town and showing us the vulnerability, to see how we can pinpoint those vulnerabilities ourselves without it being a bear showing us where those attractants are unsecured,B次元官网网址� Paquette told the Westerly.
B次元官网网址淚 tried to see what would be attractive to a bear, what they would be interested in and what they would be able to accessB次元官网网址he commercial bins are bear resistant, but with that human component a lot of them were open.B次元官网网址�
She added she also discovered several grease bins that were not thoroughly cleaned.
B次元官网网址淭hat just showed all the vulnerabilities that were accessible for a bear in a pretty short amount of time. It shows we need a huge effort,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淔or co-existence to be successful in our communities, we really need everybodyB次元官网网址檚 help.B次元官网网址�
She added that it was disappointing to see so much unsecured garbage in town and believes there is a misconception about how important proper attractant management is.
B次元官网网址淚 think some people might think that those big metal bins are actually secured from bears without even having the bar up or the latch on the side,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚f you donB次元官网网址檛 know much about bears and how clever and food motivated they are, you might not know that they are able to get into it.B次元官网网址�
Hansen added the work being done to bring awareness to attractant management is vital because developing an addiction to accessible garbage is a death sentence for bears.
B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, food conditioning seems to be pretty much a one-way trip,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey donB次元官网网址檛 become un-food-conditioned. They have a lot of intelligence, they are driven by that calorie reward and they just tend to get better and better and more efficient at finding and taking advantage of those calories. Once theyB次元官网网址檝e started down that road the risk to them just keeps growing.B次元官网网址�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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