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May 29, 2017 - 6:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - A pair of bear cubs sniffing out garbage in an east Kamloops neighbourhood may need to be trapped after being conditioned to human food.
Sgt. Kevin Van Damme with the B.C. Conservation Service says they have been alerted to two cubs in the Juniper Ridge neighbourhood near the grounds of local elementary school.
"They’ve been in the area for the past two weeks," Van Damme says. "They were in the neighbourhood last fall (and) we’ve been monitoring their activities."
An alert has been sent out by the principal of Juniper Ridge Elementary.
Van Damme says the cubs appear to be rooting through garbages in search of human food which isn't a good thing.
"The fact that they’ve got behaviour with human food and garbage now is a real challenge for both the bears and any future solution," he says.
Since the cubs have eaten human food and are now actively searching for it, it's likely that the bears will have to be trapped by conservation officers.
Van Damme says the bear cubs likely poses no risk to the public, but it's important for people to be bear aware at this time of year.
He also encourages people to report any sightings of wildlife in town to conservation officers so they can monitor the bear's activities. This can help officials communicate with the affected neighbourhood and receive more information.
For more on bear awareness, go here.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017