For a town with a population of less than 700, lots of bears are being killed in Port Alice.
In August, four bears had to be euthanized by Conservation Officers in the city.
As the village staff said on Twitter, the reason for these deaths “lies 100 percent with our own community.”
So why is the community killing bears?
It’s not malice; it’s laziness.
When you don’t care enough to keep bears away, they come – and they stay.
Once a bear decides it likes village life, it becomes a danger to residents and has to be put down to keep people safe.
But if bears don’t have a good reason to set up camp in town, they stay safe in the wild. That’s why ensuring they’re not attracted to your home is crucial.
“Take some extra time to educate ourselves, neighbours, and visitors to the area.” the Village posted on Twitter. “Laziness is the leading cause of death for these bears, and regardless of what tools we use to collect the attractants, bears will continue to die if humans do not take responsibility for their actions.”
So what actions are bringing bears into town?
Easy food is the main one, aka – garbage.
“It is important to take some time to learn how to secure your garbage correctly, take action to haze, or scare, bears away immediately when they come into the community, and report early so action can be taken before a bear has become habituated.” said the Village.
Conservation has had a few meetings with the Village of Port Alice now, and they will start giving out warning letters and violation tickets if people don’t take action to protect wildlife better.
