'It's a people problem': Unsecured garbage bins continue to attract bears on Bear Mountain
Shauna Owens-Krahn lives on Bear Mountain in Langford. Four times a day she takes her dogs for walks through the trails near her home and carries bear spray, just in case.
“I just learned that there was a bear in the neighbourhood two weeks ago,” said Owens-Krahn.
In fact it’s three bears, a mother bear and her two cubs. They were first spotted in the area in October, captured on many home surveillance systems and seen getting into people’s garbage.
It appears Bear Mountain has a bear problem.
“Unfortunately it’s not a bear problem, it’s a people problem,” said Mollie Cameron, president of Wild Wise.
Wild Wise, along with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, has been working tirelessly in the attempt to persuade residents to better secure their trash on Bear Mountain with little success.
“There’s really no excuse for the amount of garbage bins that are being left outside on a constant basis,” said Cameron.
She says bears are animals of opportunity and can smell garbage from a kilometre away. Cameron fears if residents don’t start to properly store their trash, it will lead to those three bears being destroyed.
“If these bears do lose their lives, more bears are just going to come in,” said Cameron.
Last year, a neighbourhood in View Royal dealt with a similar situation caused by a mother bear and her three cubs that had become habituated to household garbage.
“I remember not being able to go to school that day because I was just in such a state of mourning,” said Alaina Miller, a View Royal resident back in March.
The mother bear was ultimately destroyed by conservation officers. The three cubs, all under one year of age, were placed at a recovery centre.
The town of View Royal later approved a pilot project providing access to bear-proof bins to residents in bear prone areas.
Back on Bear Mountain those cubs won’t be so lucky.
“Unfortunately those bears are over a year old so they wouldn’t be eligible to go to rehab,” said Cameron.
The City of Langford doesn’t provide garbage services as a utility but residents do have options when it comes to bear-proof bins.
“To outright purchase a bear proof bin is $250, it’s under $5 a month to rent one from GFL,” said Cameron.
On Bear Mountain, that small investment could mean sparing the lives of those three bears.
“The education is, you just don’t leave garbage out,” said Owens-Krahn.
“Coexistence is a really complex issue but it has a lot of really simple solutions,” said Cameron.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Wildfires are dampening against cool, rainy weather, but there's plenty left to contain
An opportune system of cool, wet weather Friday is dampening the spread of wildfires across Western Canada, but there's still plenty of work for responders and residents alike.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.