Squamish bears are out and about, so here's a little refresher course on the ABCs of being Bear Aware.
A. Does your garbage or recycling smell attractive to a bear? Is your birdfeeder hanging too low, making it an easy meal for a hungry bear?
Are you feeding your pets outdoors and attracting bears onto your property? Is your compost smelly, inviting a bear to dine? Is your barbecue dripping with yummy grease, tempting bears into your neighbourhood?
Be aware that these attractants lure bears into our communities. Reduce odours and keep non-natural attractants inaccessible.
B. Bears just can't help it they are opportunists and are biologically driven to pursue anything and everything that may offer up a meal.
With nothing to eat or drink for four to five months, Squamish bears are emerging from hibernation lean and hungry and ready to start packing on the pounds.
With only low calorie spring food available such as grass, clover, skunk cabbage and catkins, bears can continue to lose weight well into June.
This makes that unlocked garbage can or that low hanging bird feeder such a high caloric jackpot temptation.
C. Changing habits and making an effort is what Bear Aware is all about.
Freezing smelly garbage until collection day, rinsing recycling, hanging birdfeeders at least three and a half to four metres from the ground, feeding pets indoors, turning and liming your compost and burning the fat off the barbecue grill are all changes that we can make.
With these changes, our community will see a reduction in human-bear conflicts and a reduction in the number of bears needlessly destroyed as well as an increase in the overall safety of our neighbourhoods.
Help Bear Aware keep bears wild. www.bearaware.bc.ca
