Here's why B.C. conservation officers say you should put your Halloween pumpkin out for 1 night only
With Halloween less than two weeks away, B.C. conservation officers are warning locals to be cautious with their pumpkins.
In a social media post, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service warned of the risks that can come with leaving a jack-o-lantern outside for too long.
"They may seem like only a seasonal decoration but your Halloween jack-o-lantern could also attract a hungry bear," the warning said.
"As bears look to pack on calories, the scent of a carved pumpkin on a front porch could bring a bear right to your door, which creates a risk to public safety."
WildSafeBC, an organization that works to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, told CTV News Vancouver uncarved pumpkins could also be an attractant, but that jack-o-lanterns "tend to be much more odorous and likely more enticing."
Conservation officers and animal welfare advocates have warned in recent weeks of the high number of calls regarding human-wildlife conflict, particularly for bears and attractants. Last month, conservation was called 5,070 times about black bears. Officers responded to 508 of those calls and 142 bears were destroyed.
Officials estimate B.C.'s black bear population is about 120,000 to 160,000. From 2016 to 2020, an average of 494 bears were destroyed each year. So far in 2021, 378 black bears have been killed by conservation officers across the province.
While there are several reasons why a bear may be killed by a conservation officer, food conditioning is one of them.
"Once a bear has learned to associate people with food, that behaviour is incredibly hard to change. Those are the bears that probably end up being destroyed due to conflict," Mike Badry, provincial wildlife conflict manager with BC Conservation Officer Service, told CTV News in the summer.
"There's still a whole lot of work to do to get people to appropriately manage those attractants."
This Halloween, BCCOS recommends putting pumpkins out on Oct. 31 only, then bringing them inside at night and disposing of them properly. Putting off carving until closer to Halloween also helps avoid early decomposition, BCCOS said.
"Make sure the only guest on your front porch is a trick-or-treater," BCCOS' post said.
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.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
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.
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.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.