If the bears don’t get it, someone else is lurking the streets of Vernon at night, on the hunt for garbage.
WildSafe B.C. has deployed a new tactic to make residents bear aware – Tessa Coulthard.
Thanks to the City of Vernon, the newly hired WildSafe B.C. ambassador is helping to keep wildlife wild and communities safe.
Part of that job includes garbage tagging.
She’s armed with a keen eye, education in the field and an arsenal of sighting reports so she knows where high target areas area.
She will be out at night hunting for garbage each week in Vernon neighbourhoods which have had bear sightings (she doesn’t work in the outlying communities).
Any garbage cans left out the night prior to garbage pickup will be tagged with an easily removable warning sticker that identifies the garbage as bear attractant.
“People don’t understand their actions cause bears to stick around,” said Coulthard.
Some Blue Jay/Goose Lake residents may have already pulled their bins in to discover the stickers, as Coulthard was out last week.
“We find it’s the most effective way to get people to keep their garbage in a secure place until morning.”
Coulthard has already been going door-to-door letting people know if a bear has been spotted in their area – and that includes almost every outer region of town.
“In the last couple of weeks we’ve had bears up Bella Vista Road, out Old Kamloops Road by Goose Lake, Eastside Road, Keddleston…,” she said, noting that while there are other wildlife sightings, bears are the No. 1 issue.
Although bear sightings aren’t uncommon, the number so far this year is not unusual, according to conservation officers, whom Coulthard is in close contact with.
“We don’t really like to see them out in neighbourhoods though.”
As a result, steps to prevent animals from needing to be destroyed can be taken.
“Once you see a bear in your neighourhood, it’s time to take down your bird feeders, manage your compost and keep your garbage secure until morning pickup.
“It reduces the number of bears that have to be destroyed because we don’t relocate bears here,” she said, as once a bear gets a taste for garbage, it will continue to seek out garbage as a food source.
Residents can assist WildSafe B.C.’s efforts by mapping their sightings through the Wildlife Alert Reporting Program. The interactive map shows sightings for particular areas. For example there was a cougar on Pinto Road (above Bella Vista) recently and someone spotted a black bear in Enderby Wednesday.
“We live here because it’s beautiful and there’s lots of nature and wildlife and we have to respect that,” said Coulthard, who is working locally until August, when she returns to the University of Victoria.
For more information, visit www.wildsafebc.com or check out the Facebook page at WildSafeBC Vernon.
