By Tommy Osborne

Wildfires and Bears

Do wildfires result in more bear sightings in cities?

Aug 7, 2024 | 5:09 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Wildfires have continued to dominate headlines this summer, devastating not just towns and cities, but also the wildlife that lives in the forests. Wildfires displace animals and force them to move away from the fire, and while that is both an obvious and expected move for the animals to make, experts explain large mammals like bears may not be as quick to move into a city following a wildfire as one may think.

“(In situations) where we’ve had collared animals, animals fitted with GPS tracking devices during an active wildfire, we’ve seen them move out of the way of the fire, and they’re back within a day or two, right back to where they started, probably the fire still smoldering in that area. So for those large animals, they’re very resilient,” said UBC Department of Biology Professor Dr. Adam Ford.

Ford explained wildfires can actually be beneficial to an ecosystem long term, so long as the fire doesn’t burn so hot that it creates a “moonscape.” Barring that situation, wildfires can open the canopy, bringing more light and nutrients into the soil with it.

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“It might take a year for those plants to come back if it’s a late season fire. But we tend to see green vegetation spreading right back, sometimes within weeks of a recent fire,” Ford said.

While research shows bears prefer to stay in the wild, and even in the same area a fire took place, it’s no secret to Prince George that bears also frequent the city. Nicole Botten, President of the Northern Bear Awareness Society, explained this could be because food is easily accessible on the outskirts of the city near the wild, so a travelling bear would grab what it could and possibly frequent the area as a result.

“Whether or not they have food in the wild, but especially if their natural food sources are depleted, then the bears will basically follow their noses into our community. So if we have garbage out, or even other things like the overripe fruit, if it’s not picked, that will draw the bears in,” Botten said.

While food sources can be depleted due to wildfire, Botten stressed that under no circumstances should someone living in the city feel the need to leave food for a bear, as there are other sources in the wild for the bear to eat.

“It’s really, really important that we all keep our garbage secure. So, either don’t put it in your can until garbage day or if you have too much, you have to store your garbage can in a garage or a secure enclosure,” Botten said.

Anecdotally, Botten said community members have reported seeing more cubs than usual, which could indicate that bears are getting more calories than usual. Botten explained bears give birth during hibernation and will only birth as many babies as their bodies can handle, so more cubs is an indication that bears are eating more calories. In this case, Botten says there have been reports of 3-4 cubs following mama bears.

“Garbage is not a healthy food for bears, typically, but it is calories and those calories fatten the bears up,” she said.

Last year saw a record high of bear sightings in Prince George, and unfortunately, also 81 bear deaths as a result. To keep both the community and the bears safe Botten urges you to keep your garbage secure and pick up any overripe fruit from fruit trees or bushes if you have those in your yard.

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