Bear Smart at Home
Although watching a bear feed in your yard can be an exhilarating experience, it almost always leads to trouble eventually. Making sure your home and yard are bear-proof is an essential part of making your community safe for both bears and people. Here's how:
- Keep your home bear-attractant free. Don't attract bears to your property with garbage, bird feeders, fruit trees and berry bushes, gardens, compost, dirty barbecues (grease cans or drip trays) or pet food.
- Don't stockpile garbage and recycling in large quantities and store it indoors or outdoors in bear-proof containers. If your community has curb-side pick-up, don't place it outside until just before pick-up.
- Bears can and will climb through open windows and doors. Consider keeping them closed and locked during bear season, especially if you know there is a bear in the area.
- Use specially designed bear deterrents - remotely triggered lights, noisemakers, and sprinklers - to discourage bears from entering your property, especially while you are away for extended periods.
- If you encounter a bear in an urban area, remain calm. Give the bear plenty of space and an easy escape route. If it's a black bear, make lots of noise to encourage it to leave; if it's a grizzly bear, remain quiet and slowly back away. (Click here to learn how to tell the difference.) Call your local conservation/wildlife officer and report your bear sighting.
- Keep the whole neighbourhood safe by encouraging your neighbours to follow BearSmart practices, too.
- Join your local BearSmart organization. Click here to see if there is one in your community. If not, consider starting your own.
