District of Squamish says a trap has been set in the Garibaldi Highlands neighbourhood for a bear that recently gained access to an organics tote.
The bear will be given another chance to stay wild and find natural food, district said.
District is also reminding residents that bears are already active in the community and having a neighbourhood bear means it’s finding non-natural food.
“Let’s be unattractive to bears by storing totes inside a garage, shed or secure location, reduce odours by rinsing recycling and freezing food scraps, and keep totes locked at all times even when empty,” district said.
Squamish ranks fourth among the top five communities in BC for bear activity in 2019, according to a wildlife update that was recently presented to the council.
According to the report, 10 bears were destroyed by the Conservation Officer Service last year in Squamish. Eight of those ten bears were destroyed due to residential garbage and human habituation.
Access to residential garbage is the primary cause of bear destruction in the community, followed by other attractants such as kitchen organics and domestic fruit trees
Please call 1.877.952.7277 if you have a wildlife sighting or encounter.