File Photo

By Silvia Senna

Bear Awareness

How to be smarter than your average bear

May 3, 2023 | 5:16 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The sun is out and so are the bears. According to the Northern Bear Awareness Society, most bears have been reported in College Heights, the Hart and North Nechacko.

With that in mind, the Society is warning the community about leaving garbage and other attractants out.

“When a bear starts eating foods that are derived from human sources, it draws them closer to homes. So once a bear is food conditioned, it always remembers and it always will repeat those same behaviors,” explained Nicole Botten, the president of the Northern Bear Awareness Society.

Once that happens, Butten said the only solution is to put the animal down.

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“It’s been shown over many years in many trials that bears will usually either return back to where they were or else they’ll just repeat the same behaviors in a new community. So unfortunately, if we cause food conditioning in a bear, it’s it’s not really something that can be remedied,” she said.

Butten also explained what actions people should take when facing the animal in the backyard or in the street. According to her, it is never a good a idea to run.

“Just kind of quietly walk away. But you should always let the bear know that you’re there. Make human sounds. Just talk softly to the bear and it will identify you as a human and then just back away.”

Butten emphasized that this region has a lot of green space and it is expected to see wildlife around. The animals are usually just passing through and that is natural and normal.