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THE BEAR FACTS

 

THE BEAR FACTS: Living with Bears
By Debbie Wellwood

Join the Bear Smart Telkwa Challenge 


In 2010, the Telkwa Community Initiatives Society, with the support of the Village of Telkwa and the BC Conservation Officer Service, introduced Bear Smart Telkwa; an information and education program aimed at supporting individuals and the community in pursuing Bear Smart Community Program initiatives. With your help, and in most cases, preventing problems with bears in and around places people live can be as easy as 1, 2, and 3:

 

  1. Learn to think like a bear. Finding food is almost always at the top of a bear’s to-do-list, particularly in spring when high quality natural foods are sparse.
  2. Take action to out smart bears. Most problems are preventable. A major step is to make sure that bears can not get at your food, garbage or other attractants (e.g., birdseed, livestock and pet food).
  3. Help us to spread the Bear Smart Community message to family, friends, and neighbors. It takes a community to establish a more peaceful coexistence with bears.
    Your actions can create a safer community for people and bears.


Communities across North America are choosing to change the way they live with bears—shifting away from a largely reactionary and needless cycle of destroying large numbers of ‘problem bears’ and moving towards preventing conflicts with bears through individual and community awareness and action founded in respect for bears.


A few ideas for getting started this bear season:

  • Read Living With Bears: A Practical Guide to Bear Country by Linda Masterson (available or upon request at Speedee/Interior Stationary and Books). This book was written with black bears in mind but many of the concepts and most of the tips and innovative ideas for preventing conflicts also apply to grizzly bears.
  • Watch the Living in Bear Country DVD/Video by the Safety in Bear Country Society (available at Smithers Public Library).
  • Read Bear Facts articles posted each month in the Village of Telkwa newsletter including information about bear ecology and behaviour and tips for preventing conflicts
  • Learn more about the Province of BC Bear Smart Community Program - BC Bear Smart Community Program
     

Conservation Officer Service: To report a serious wildlife conflict, call toll free 1-877-952-7277.
 

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