'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
BREAKING 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.
Scottie Scheffler isn't the first pro golfer to be arrested during a tournament
Scottie Scheffler's arrest hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in professional golf history. It certainly wasn't the first, though.
NEW What a wildfire survivor says she regrets not grabbing before leaving home
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
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.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta border: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Canadian convicted of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer sentenced to 30 years
The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.
World No. 1 golfer charged with police officer assault before PGA Championship second round
World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with the assault of a police officer in what he called a 'chaotic situation' before being released in time to start his second round at the PGA Championship on Friday.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
B.C. optometrist warns against trending eye colour change procedure
A medical procedure that can permanently change a person's eye colour may be trending on social media, but a B.C. optometrist is warning about the significant risks associated.