ItB次元官网网址檚 spring, which means bears are on the move in the West Shore. Residents in areas with bear activity must lock up their curbside garbage bins or face a $230 fine.
Greater Victoria sees B次元官网网址渓otsB次元官网网址� of bear activity when itB次元官网网址檚 feeding time, even in a place thought to be more urban such as Langford, said Scott Norris, a conservation officer for the region. B次元官网网址淚n the last year in the Triangle Mountain area we had lots of bear activity though the fall and in December.B次元官网网址�
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Black bear caught snooping around Langford home
People should always be locking up their attractants this time of year as hungry bears start to leave their dens, Norris advised. HeB次元官网网址檚 seen up to B次元官网网址渇ive to 10 bear calls a dayB次元官网网址� in the southern part of the Island, he said
Residents can view reported bear sightings in their area at .
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B次元官网网址淭he last thing we want is for them to find garbage as their first key source of food,B次元官网网址� Norris said. Bears B次元官网网址渜uite quicklyB次元官网网址� get habituated to neighbourhoods and human food sources, he noted. This leads to the unfortunate consequence of them getting euthanized, he added.
About 600 bears in B.C. were euthanized after an encounter with humans in 2017, according to the province.
Brittany Dorland said she noticed that bins that seem bear-proof arenB次元官网网址檛 always protective enough while cataloguing bear attractants in Metchosin for a class project in a social sciences course at the University of Victoria. If itB次元官网网址檚 a plastic bin, B次元官网网址渂ears can get on top, and jump on top, and break into it,B次元官网网址� she learned.
ALSO READ: Greater Victoria not out of the woods when it comes to bear safety
The project catalogues 20 examples of potential attractants including bee hives, chicken coops and garbage cans, for bears, cougars and wolves. The project aims to log all the identified attractants in Metchosin, she said.
While she isnB次元官网网址檛 from the community and doesnB次元官网网址檛 know what itB次元官网网址檚 like, Dorland said thereB次元官网网址檚 room for improvement from what sheB次元官网网址檚 seen. B次元官网网址淭hey definitely donB次元官网网址檛 have a bunch of open garbage thatB次元官网网址檚 not covered, it just perhaps may not be as bear proof as they think it might be.B次元官网网址�
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