Food-conditioned bear killed in Fort Nelson, as resident launches community safety petition

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says a black bear in Fort Nelson, B.C., was killed on Aug. 19 after several reports of the bear going door-to-door knocking over garbage bins.

Rogan Thin, a conservation officer for the Peace and Northern Rockies region, says the male bear was food-conditioned and had no fear of humans.

“We’ve been getting consistent reports of bears accessing garbage and fruit trees,” said Thin.

“The primary concern we hear from the public is the presence of bears in residential areas. And garbage is the number one attractant that is cited in most of these reports.”

Public safety is the service’s priority, says Thin, noting bears have begun bulking up for winter hibernation.

He added that residents should completely remove any attractants: pet food, fruit dropped from trees, barbecues, anything a bear might smell.

“It reduces the amount of bear-human conflict we have in communities like this, and lets us be more proactive in our work than just reactive,” Thin said.

Resident launches petition

Carmella Louis has lived in Fort Nelson for the past five years, and is worried the bears are becoming generationally habituated.

A petition was launched by Louis, calling for mandatory bear-proofing and stronger attractant management policies.

“I have bear mace, I have an air horn, I have all these precautions in place — but these bears, they don’t even run away anymore,” Louis said.

“They’re not afraid. And that’s kind of worrisome, because I have school-age children that go to the bus stop in the morning.”

Louis says she spotted a mother bear and three cubs at the local spray park recently, a site used frequently by the community during the summer months.

“I would like to have a safer community for us and our children,” said Louis, who secures her own garbage bins with heavy-duty straps.

“I started this petition in hopes of getting the attention of the Northern Rockies [Regional Municipality] or the town municipality, to take action and to take this matter seriously before an attack on a person, the family dog or a child happens.”

Bylaws already in place

The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) has bylaws requiring residents to keep both garbage and compost out of reach from wildlife.

Mayor Rob Fraser says residents should report aggressive bears to conservation officers, and make sure their garbage bins are secure, recommending they call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line when needed.

“The bear movements in town have been up. I think it’s a combination of things,” he said.

“They’re really feeding on on everything they can, getting ready for winter hibernation. And this is the time of year when everybody’s gardens are full, everybody’s apple trees are out.”

Fraser said there’s a volunteer group offering to pick fruit for those who need help removing attractants.

The NRRM also a has a wildlife conflict co-ordinator and completed a bear management plan in August 2022.

The municipality does not offer bear-resistant bins, noted Fraser, but says some residents have them.

“I know there are a lot of people out there that are cleaning their garbage cans, but these bears, it’s not just the smell,” he said.

“They see those bins as a food source. And so it doesn’t matter whether it smells or not. They see it and they’re after those bins. So we try to reduce the amount of hours those bins are out.”

Thin recommends residents use bear-resistant garbage bins with metal skirting and clamps to prevent them from being opened.

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