If you see a cougar in town, call the BC Conservation Authority IMMEDIATELY to report when and where it was seen, as there is a small window to track the cougar. Calls should be made by the person who saw it, not a third party. Please CALL 1-877-952-7277
Living in a rural forested community means living with bears, cougars, raccoons, and many other animals that need to be protected from human interaction and easy access to unnatural food options.
Though the fruit is growing naturally, it is not a natural part of our bears diets. Apples, plums and pears are attractants that will keep bears coming back to yards, creating an unsafe environment for them and residents. It will also habituate the bears making it impossible to relocate them. If you are unable to pick the fruit in your yard invite neighbors to help you, there’s lots enough to share!
Make sure to be diligent with attractants such as garbage cans. Do not leave it out overnight and store in a secure place that is not accessible to the bears or raccoons. When using the Transfer Station follow the guidelines marked on-site for disposal and never put any kitchen waste in the blue bin, including other household garbage like diapers and kitty litter.
Help keep wildlife wild and our community safe by not feeding wildlife and managing attractants around your property. Feeding wildlife is not only dangerous, it can put wildlife and others at risk. You should also be aware that it is an offense under the BC Wildlife Act to attract dangerous animals (bears, wolves, cougars and coyotes) with unsecured attractants.
The BC 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.
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