Cold and wet weather and a modest pink salmon return drove black bears to seek out human garbage in town last year, according to an annual report by WildSafe C.
Over a 10-month period beginning in January 2017, 577 wildlife calls were made to the Conservation Officer Service.
The majority – 82 per cent – were for black bears and eight per cent were for cougars.
A smaller number of calls were made for coyotes, deer, and bobcats.
“A cold, wet spring in 2017 contributed to a delayed production of spring and early summer natural food for black bears,” reads the report.
“As a result, the year began with an increase in bear-related reporters starting in May and peaking in July.”
Bear encounters were mostly classified as sightings or attempt to eat garbage, according to the report, but a small number of incidents resulted in non-life-threatening injuries.
In total three attacks resulted in injuries to four people between October 2016 and May of 2017.
In May, a couple’s hike near the Garibaldi Highlands neighbourhood ended in a man being left with minor scratches after an encounter with two bears.
Also mentioned in the report was an incident in August where two women were chased by a black bear while jogging near the Squamish golf course.
In total, eight bears were killed by conservation officers from January to October 2017, a number that is down from 10 killed in 2016 but higher than the 10-year average of 5.5 per year.
Three males and three females were killed, in addition to two cubs that had been taught how to access garbage bins by their mother.
“Overall, black bear reports to the Conservation Officer Service hotline resulted in Squamish being one of the top 10 communities in B.C. for bear activity,” reads the report.
“The predominant attractants leading to human-wildlife conflict included garbage, kitchen organics, and fruit trees.”
Bears were not the only animals causing concern in the district this year.
One off-leash dog was attacked and killed by a coyote in Brackendale on the Ray Peters Trail, and there were several reports of a wolf stalking residents with dogs in the same area.
A domestic cat was killed on the front porch in Paradise Valley, and two elk were hit by vehicles in January and April along the highway.
“These events are a reminder of the need to be constantly vigilant, continue education and put measures in place to mitigate the safety risk as a result of living in wildlife country,” reads the report.
Garbage and other attractants must be kept contained to prevent drawing wildlife to homes, experts warn.
Eight public wildlife alerts were issued in 2017, and a half was for cougar behaviour.
Squamish began introducing bear safety bylaws, and awareness campaigns in 2005 after bear deaths peaked the previous year at 27. Since then fatal bear encounters have sharply declined.
WildSafe is recommending that finalizing the updated District’s Bear Conflict Management Plan be a priority in 2018 to address the growing human population in town.
