Food-habituated bear prompts partial closure of B.C. provincial park
A provincial park in the Lower Mainland has partially closed due to a "problem bear."
BC Parks and the BC Conservation Officer Service are closing three campgrounds in Garibaldi Provincial Park because of reports of a problem bear at Cheakamus Lake.
"Based on the behaviour of the bear, it is believed to be the same bear that was exhibiting food habituation and aggression last year," reads a statement on the park's website.
Because of concerns for public safety, BC Parks and the BCCOS are closing the Cheakamus Lake, Singing Creek and Helm Creek campgrounds this weekend. The Cheakamus Lake Trailhead will also be closed.
The closure took effect at 4 p.m. Saturday, with park rangers evacuating visitors from the Cheakamus Lake area by that time. Rangers expected to finish evacuating park visitors from the Helm Lake area by Sunday.
"The closure will remain in place through Tuesday, June 21 (day use and camping) and may be extended if the bear is not caught within this closure time frame," the statement reads.
Garibaldi is the second provincial park in the Lower Mainland to be closed by aggressive bear behaviour this month.
Last week, the 62,500-hectare Golden Ears Park was fully closed so conservation officers could search for a "problematic" black bear.
That closure was initially scheduled to last three days, but the park ended up reopening sooner than planned after conservation officers captured and killed the animal.
Advocates say the colder-than-average spring weather has reduced the salmonberry crop this year, prompting more black bears to enter residential neighbourhoods looking for food.
On Saturday, Christine Miller of the North Shore Black Bear Society told CTV News residents should keep all food scraps out of their residential garbage and instead put them in organics bins, which are typically picked up earlier in the morning.
“If we could reduce the amount of unnatural food sources for them, they would be inclined to return and eat grasses and hopefully find berries soon,” said Miller, who adds keeping bears away from garbage keeps them alive.
“If a bear finds a lot of food available in the community, they will spend more and more time in residential areas,” said Miller. “And that usually has a very bad outcome for the bear.”
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Alyse Kotyk and Shannon Paterson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.