North Okanagan residents need to remember that we aren’t the only ones who call the region home.
Besides us, there are a lot of four-legged creatures, whether it’s bears, coyotes, cougars or a host of other animals. In fact, they have been in the region a lot longer than we have.
And while they are beautiful to look at, there’s no question that a shared habitat means conflicts between people and wildlife can occur. And that’s particularly the case as bears continuously look for food.
That’s why the Wildsafe B.C. program is so fundamentally important, and particularly ambassador Tess Coulthard’s educating Vernon residents about how to deter bears from visiting neighbourhoods.
“People don’t understand their actions cause bears to stick around,” said Coulthard.
The biggest problem is leaving garbage cans out where bears can access them. Once they have discovered a veritable smorgasbord, they will return.
As a result, there’s the potential for a bear to come into conflict with a person or a pet, and ultimately that means the bear must be destroyed as relocation rarely works when a bear is addicted to garbage.
Beyond garbage cans, residents can help keep bears away by taking down bird feeders, securing compost piles and barbecues and cleaning up ripe fruit.
All of this may seem like a lot of work but taking these measures could save a life — wild or human.
“We live here because it’s beautiful and there’s lots of nature and wildlife and we have to respect that,” said Coulthard.
If you want to do your part, go to www.wildsafebc.com for more information.
