Spring means bears are coming out of hibernation and looking for food.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
April 07, 2013 - 5:00 AM
Bears are rolling out of hibernation and come looking for food - which means it is also the beginning of the bear by-law season in Kamloops.
The bear by-law runs from April 1 through Nov. 30 every year and restricts the times garbage can be left out at the curb (not before 4 a.m.) and acceptable ways to store bear attractants.
The city offers a checklist of ways to reduce the attraction of bears to your property, including properly pruning and harvesting fruit trees, rinsing recycling to prevent odours, cleaning barbecues after each use, keeping pet food indoors, turning compost regularly and storing garbage in a secure area.
The city reminds residents that we can expect to deal with bears in all parts of Kamloops and that bears quickly become habituated to easy food sources such as fruit, compost, bird feeders and garbage and will break in to shed or homes to find the source of smells.
Kamloops is one of the few communities in B.C. With Bear Smart status, thanks to the long standing Bear Aware programs the city has engaged in. The Bear Smart Community Program details steps and procedures to help reduce the frequency and intensity of human-bear conflicts through proactive management.
Bears that have become habituated are considered a safety risk which means they will be shot and violators of the bear by-law are subject to a $100 fine.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 819-3723.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013