Bears will be active over coming weeks as they prepare for hibernation, RDCO warns

The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) is urging residents to do their part to help manage bear attractants as summer turns to fall.

According to Breanna Scott, the Central Okanagan’s WildSafeBC coordinator, bears become more active as the summer ends and they enter their most intense eating phase to prepare for hibernation.

It’s a period called hyperphagia, she says, when bears consume up to 20,000 calories a day for rapid weight gain.

“To find enough food before winter, bears tend to move to lower elevations, adjacent to their habitat, and conflicts in residential areas tend to increase,” Scott explains.

A prime target for bears is often residential garbage bins, which is why the RDCO says managing attractants is key to keeping communities and wildlife safe.

Cynthia Coates, the RDCO’s solid waste supervisor, says that garbage is “the most reported attractant” when it comes to bears having a presence in neighbourhoods.

“Most residential areas in the Central Okanagan are adjacent to bears’ natural habitat, which is why it’s so important to manage attractants around your property, especially garbage and recyclables,” she notes. “Don’t be the reason a bear comes knocking.”

The RDCO explains that human-wildfire conflicts arise when animals become food conditioned and wildlife will frequent an area when it has continual and easy access to non-natural food sources.

Bylaws state that residents are only permitted to put out garbage, yard waste and recycling bins between 7 am and 7 pm on pickup day.

It’s also an offence under the BC Wildfire Act to attract dangerous animals with unsecured attractants.

Beyond limiting attractants in garbage, yard waste and recycling bins, the RDCO also urges residents to take additional steps to manage attractants around their property.

That includes picking fruit when ripe, collecting fallen fruit, cleaning and burning off barbecues after each use, avoiding bird feeders during bear season, practicing responsible composting and keeping pet food indoors.

For more information on reducing human-wildlife conflict, review these tips from the RDCO and visit the WildSafeBC website.