Be Bear Wise: Wild Wise Sooke suggests spring cleaning, minimize attractants
SPN File photo
–Debbie Read, Wise Wise Sooke
BE BEAR WISE
Spring is here and so are the Bears!
Wild Wise Sooke can help you recognise the Bear attractions in your space.
It is time to start preparing for the black bears seeking food sources in our neighbourhoods. Be proactive and minimize human-bear conflict, prevent bears from lingering in our residential neighborhoods. You can help keep bears away from your home by removing any bear-attracting food sources.
Bears are attracted into our neighbourhoods by the available non-natural food, reduce the potential for human-bear conflict by simply managing attractants. This means ensuring that wildlife can move through our community without being attracted.
We don’t want to invite wildlife to stop and stay.
Preventing and/or reducing conflict with bears requires us to modify our behaviors
Is your residence area free of food odors that may attract a hungry bear’s attention?
[sam id=”15″ codes=”true”]It’s time for spring clean up.- Always store garbage indoors during bear season
- Put your garbage tote curbside between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. only on collection day, never the night before
- Reduce odours by freezing the smelly stuff and dispose of the bag on collection day
- Rinse out all recycling material to reduce odours
- Set up an electric fencing system to protect chickens and livestock
- Don’t use birdfeeders during bear season
- Ensure you have odourless compost by liming, turning frequently, cutting food into small pieces, layering greens with browns and never add meat, fish, fats, or oils
- Consider digging a hole in the ground and bury your compost
- Feed pets indoors and keep all bowls indoors
- Keep barbeques clean and grease free by burning an extra 5 minutes after removing food and remove or clean barbecue tools
- Move fridges and freezers indoors or lock them.
- Talk to your neighbours about managing their attractants
Wild Wise Sooke can provide you with educational intervention about reducing conflict with bears. They will help you recognize the attractions and help you make changes that respect, enhance and conserve wildlife. Wild Wise Sooke can also assist you with electric fencing options.
For assistance contact
Wild Wise Sooke provides information about bears and bear behavior. This keeps our community and the wildlife safe. BE BEAR WISE
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Yes, this is the first year that we have had sheep here so a bit worried. The bears cut through our property to get to the river for the spawning salmon. We do have some killer guard ducks so that might help. Quack!