By Steve Hubrecht
Warmer temperatures and melting snow mean bears will emerge from their dens soon, if they haven’t done so already.
Last week several Invermere residents posted on social media about a bear sighting at Ray Brydon dog park in the Athalmer industrial park, including an alleged attack on a dog by a black bear.
Local conservation officers have not received any reports about a bear in Ray Brydon Park, but are reminding the public that if the bears are out early, they will be hungry after their long winter torpor, and consequently residents must be extra careful with their garbage and should take down their bird feeders until next winter.
“We’ve had no reports at all up to this point about black bear movement,” Columbia-Kootenay Conservation Office Sgt. Greg Kruger told the Pioneer on March 7. “But we definitely are expecting bears to be awake from their hibernation and out of their dens, at lower elevations including here on the valley bottom, given the warmer weather and snow melt.”
Kruger said the Pioneer’s call was the first he’s heard of the alleged attack on the dog in the park. He emphasized that any bear incidents should be reported by calling the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hot line at 1-877- 952-7277.
“If we don’t get those reports, if we don’t know about this bear activity, we can’t take action,” said Kruger.
“They (the bears) come out in a desperate search to put on calories right away, so please be vigilant about non-natural food sources,” he explained.
The number one non-natural food source that brings bears into town is unsecured garbage. Garbage should be kept indoors or locked in a shed and only put out an hour before scheduled garbage pickup time.
Bird feeders are another problematic bear attractant common in Columbia Valley communities.
“It’s time to put the bird seed away,” said Kruger, adding that with the warmer conditions, birds should now have no problem finding their own natural food sources.
