Conservation officers say three bear cubs will be sent for rehabilitation and their sow destroyed after the group was caught dining in a school dumpster early Wednesday morning in Coquitlam.
The black bears were reported at around 2:30 a.m. at Summit Middle School, located in the 1400-block of Parkway Blvd., and authorities tranquilized all four to avoid causing a scene when children started arriving for class.
"The kids will be coming in soon," conservation officer Denny Chretien said shortly after 7 a.m. "We're trying to get this all done and resolved before the public starts showing up."
Chretien said the mother and one cub were found circling an eight-foot-tall dumpster where the two other cubs were trapped.
The approximately 80-pound cubs will spend a year in rehabilitation at the Critter Care Wildlife Society, but officials say the sow must be euthanized.
The group shows signs of habituation, Chretien said, and has been reported eating garbage in both Coquitlam and Port Moody before.
Drake Stephens of Bear Aware says relocating the animals would be difficult because the weather is turning and there's not enough food in the backcountry.
"They would starve to death or die trying to get back here," Stephens said.
About 600 bears are destroyed in B.C. annually, and seven have been killed so far this year in Coquitlam alone. Stephens says they will continue to die if garbage isn't locked up.
"We can't blame anyone but ourselves if bears are knocking over garbage cans every night," he said.
The bin at Summit Middle School was not locked overnight, but school district spokesperson Cheryl Quinton said they will be discussing with conservation officials whether the school's garbage protocol needs updating.
"The garbage is emptied regularly… we are aware of this danger that exists, so we are very vigilant about cleaning the bins," Quinton said.
There is currently no bylaw requiring garbage bins to be locked in Coquitlam for bear safety.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lisa Rossington
