Funding for the Kimberley Bear Aware program just came through this week and the first few days on the job have not been what Shaunna McInnis would have hoped.

McInnis is returning to the Bear Aware program she first worked for in 2005 and 2006.

Her summer got off to a busy start with a bear entering a home in Lois Creek on Monday and then three bears - a mother and two cubs - being put down in the same area on Wednesday morning.

"We've had a busy first week of operation with many reported sightings of bears within the city limits," McInnis said. "Most of these reports include sightings of bears eating bird seed and garbage. Sightings of these bears include (but are not limited to), Forest Crowne, Dreamweaver subdivision, Marysville, the Platzl, and many in the Townsite area."

Earlier this week, a trap was put out for a cinnamon coloured Black Bear that had entered a home in Lois Creek. However a cub was caught in the trap and the mother and other cub sticking near the trap were put down Wednesday morning.

"These were habituated bears," McInnis said. "They were seen last year and again this year. They haven't necessarily been the ones destroying things though.

"We currently have a cinnamon coloured Black Bear in the Townsite area of Kimberley who has repeatedly destroyed property and even entered a house along the Lois Creek/Eighth Avenue area.

We recommend that children and pets in this area be closely monitored while playing outside and that children be accompanied to school by adults. It may be wise to use alternate routes to avoid this area."

People are also advised to keep an eye out when hiking along the Lois Creek Trails.

"Watch for signs of bear, make lots of noise and keep your dogs on a leash," McInnis said.

She says bears are hungry right now having just come out of hibernation.

"When bears look for food in town, they may become food-conditioned. Food-conditioned bears are bears that look for sources of food in our communities. Bears have great memories and will return to places where they have found food in the past - even years later. Moms are great at teaching their cubs these bad habits. Constant exposure to humans creates an habituated bear. An habituated bear becomes so used to human presence, that it will not leave when a human is in the area. Habituated and food-conditioned bears may become much more dangerous to both human life and property. This very conditioning resulted in the destruction of the mother black bear and her two cubs in the Lois Creek area this week".

To report a bear sighting please call 1-877-952-7277. If there is immediate danger call 911.