METRO VANCOUVER - The early December cold snap convinced most of B.C.'s black bears to hunker down for a winter nap, but a few stragglers are still foraging for garbage on the North Shore, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge.
"We had 15 calls in December from the Coquitlam area and 15 in Maple Ridge," said Sgt. Chris Doyle of the Conservation Officer Service. "There have been a few calls from North Vancouver and one from West Vancouver as well."
A sow and two cubs are reportedly feeding on garbage in Anmore, which does not bode well for the future of those cubs.
"Those cubs get taught the bad habit of accessing garbage and when that family breaks up next year those bears will already have experience in high levels of conflict with humans."
That ends one of two ways: relocation or euthanasia.
"We really need the public's help to get these bears to den," said Doyle. That means cutting off their food supply by keeping garbage inaccessible, or better yet in the freezer, and taking in bird feeders.
This year's strong wild berry crop kept bear-human conflict to a minimum through most of the year. But next year could be a different story as the bear population surges.
"Bear populations fluctuate depending on the berry crop, so what we could see next year is an increase in cub production," Doyle explained. "The bears went to den in really good condition and that generally increases cub production."
The black bear population in B.C. ranges between 120,000 and 150,000.
Communities that reduce attractants such as accessible garbage can significantly lower the rate of conflict with bears.
At least one bear is still tipping trash cans in Upper Lonsdale in North Vancouver, according to Christine Miller of the North Shore Black Bear Society.
"People have stopped protecting their garbage and they've put out their bird feeders, so he's decided it isn't necessary to hibernate," Miller said.
The bear was seen dragging two bags of garbage through the bushes to open them in private, Miller said. "So he's still being pretty successful."
