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Stop! Please do not feed the bears!
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Cole Smith, left, and Curtis English are Fish and Wildlife officers for Sustainable
Resource Development in High Prairie. They advise the public to report problem bears
to their nearest Fish and Wildlife office.
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Mac Olsen
For Spotlight
When bears come out of hibernation, they are going to be hungry and may take a liking to human garbage or farmers’ fields for berries and oats.
Such scenarios could make them problematic, so Sustainable Resource Development has a program called Alberta Bear Smart to provide information for how to prevent it.
“Especially at this time of year, bears start to wake up from (hibernation) and the first thing they do is look for food. By food, meaning anything that has an odour or smell to it,” says Curtis English, a Fish and Wildlife officer for the SRD in High Prairie.
“Anything that’s a food source or has a strong odour to it will attract bears. If it’s a food source for something that we can eliminate … if there’s no reward, the bear will move on, so we can usually deter the problem that way.”
The Alberta Bear Smart website has a brochure with a checklist for how to reduce human-bear encounters at home:
* Store your garbage in bear-resistant and odour-proof containers or buildings.
* Clean barbecues after each use and keep in a bear-resistant building, such as a garage or shed with bars over the windows.
* Aerate compost piles frequently and cover them with lime or soil. Community composting in a secure compound is the best approach.
* Do not feed birds from April to October. Bird feeders are a major attractant for bears.
* Store smokehouses or animal carcasses in bear-resistant buildings.
* Don’t leave pet food and feeding dishes outside overnight.
* Don’t feed wildlife. This can lead to wildlife becoming accustomed to people, which can trigger dangerous encounters.
* Inform your neighbours and visitors if you see a bear near your home.
* Consider removing fruit trees and ornamentals (berry bushes) that attract bears. If you keep these plants, pick ripening fruit as early as possible, especially fruit lying on the ground. Collect waste fruit before dark.
The brochure also has other information about preventing bears from becoming problematic.
However, if Fish and Wildlife has to deal with a problem bear, they will use a device like their cylindrical bear trap with bait, usually some beaver meat, to entice the animal. When the bear goes in and touches the bait, the trap will shut and the Fish and Wildlife officers will relocate the animal to a remote area. They put ear tags on the bear before release and will destroy the animal only as a last resort.
“Usually, it’s not the bear’s fault. It’s just looking for food and we try to do what’s best for it,” says English.
He also says black bears are more problematic than others in the region. There are some grizzly bears south of the Swan Hills and towards Valleyview.
English encourages the public to call the nearest Fish and Wildlife office to report bear sightings. They will not necessarily send a trap to a location, but want to keep track of any bears which could cause problems.
For more information about preventing problematic bears, please go to http://www.srd.gov.ab. ca/fishwildlife/livingwith/bearfacts/bearsmart.aspx. The website also has brochures for hunters; farming, ranching and beekeeping; and outdoor recreation.
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