Bears are waking up. Here’s what you should know
While human-bear conflicts in the region are trending down, it’s important that residents to keep up their bear-smart habits
As bears begin to emerge from torpor, it’s a good time for Tri-Cities residents to practise habits that reduce human-bear conflicts.
“We can make simple changes now that will keep the bears safe and people safe throughout the season,” said Carla Parr-Pearson, the admin of the Tri-Cities Bear Aware Community Group on Facebook and the safety coordinator for Tri-Cities Bear Aware.
Those changes includes securing garbage and food waste carts (including keeping them inside until the morning of collection), taking down bird feeders, and keeping other bear attractants inside (like barbecue grease or pet food).
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People can expect to see more bear activity this time of year as bears wake up from their winter slumber, she explained. They’ve lost up to 30 per cent of their body weight over the winter months and are looking for food. Since they have good memories, bears will go back to places they’ve found food before — including residents’ garbage, food waste bins, or bird feeders.
“If [communities] manage attractants properly, then we see fewer conflicts,” she said. “Living in bear country means we need to adapt our habits.”
If humans leave out attractants, they’re putting bears’ lives at risk. When bears begin to associate humans with food sources the resulting conflicts sometimes end with the animals being killed.
Parr-Pearson said she recently heard the familiar rummaging of a bear wrestling with a (luckily) empty garbage bin. She looked outside and watched the bear toss the bin around for about five minutes before it gave up and sauntered away.
It’s a reminder for Tri-Cities residents to rinse their bins and keep them empty.
Bear euthanizations in Tri-Cities trending downwards
Coquitlam has been provincially recognized as a bear smart community since 2017, and Port Moody since 2024. This is a program that encourages cities to reduce human-bear conflicts by addressing their root causes. It includes educating residents on bears, developing and maintaining a bear proof waste management system, and enforcing ‘bear-smart by-laws’ that prohibit providing food to bears.
In Port Moody, zero bears have been killed since 2021. Last year, four black bears in Coquitlam were euthanized and one in Port Coquitlam. Province wide, 303 bears were destroy in 2024, down from a record 603 in 2023.
You can learn more about bear-smart practices here.
