WildSafeBC is alerting the people of Kimberley that the city is currently getting some visits from black bears seeking easy food rewards by way of unsecured garbage containers.
”It is vital they do not have access to unnatural foods so that they move on and your neighbourhood, as well as the bears, will be safer as a result,” said WildsafeBC community coordinator Danica Roussy in a press release. “We wanted to alert you to this situation and encourage you and your neighbours to secure all attractants that may lead to conflict with these bears and other wildlife.”
The City of Kimberley’s garbage carts are only effective if they’re stored correctly, the release advises. What this means is that they need to be inaccessible to wildlife at all times and stored inside a secure building, not outside on the front lawn, where a bear could drag it away.
These garbage carts are only able to be place on the curb after 5 a.m. on garbage collection day, never the night before.
WildSafeBC recommends referencing Kimberley’s Solid Waste Bylaw #2520 or visiting www.kimberley.ca/services/garbage to get more information.
Even if the carts are empty, they should still be stored indoors until collection day, the release advises.
“If you are storing empty carts outdoors, be sure to rinse the smelly stuff from the bottom of the cart, if any residue leftover,” Roussy continued. “You should also be aware that it is an offence under the BC Wildlife Act to attract dangerous animals (bears, wolves, cougars and coyotes) with unsecured attractants.”
The Wildlife Act states that:
(1) A person must not (a) intentionally feed or attempt to feed dangerous wildlife or, (b) provide, leave or place an attractant in, on or about any land or premises with the intent of attracting dangerous wildlife.
(2) A person must not leave or place an attractant in, on or about any land or premises where there are or where there are likely to be people, in a way the attractant could (a) attract dangerous wildlife to the land or premises and be accessible to dangerous wildlife.
For more information on how you can help keep your community and its wildlife safe, you can check out WildSafeBC’s Top 10 Ways to Help Wildlife and visit www.wildsafebc.com. You can also contact Danica Roussy directly at kimberley@wildsafebc.com
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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