The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Recent weeks have seen bear sightings grow increasingly common in city limits as the hungry mammals search for pre-hibernation meals. While police were forced to shoot one problem bear on First Ave. last week, most sightings have occurred in the Dadson Row and Trailer Court areas. "They're getting ready to den up, so they're trying to fatten up for the winter," said Conservation officer Blane Elphinstone. See 'Food...' on pg. 3 Continued from pg. 1 "And of course a lot of places in town are an easy food source for them, and once they get habituated into garbage or whatever, they'll usually key onto the easy food source and keep coming to it." Elphinstone said sightings will likely taper off by the end of the month as bears begin denning up. This could happen sooner if the weather turns cold. He said shooting a bear, whether by Conservation or the RCMP, is always a last resort. "We usually will try scare tactics and trapping them first, and we'll relocate them if we can trap them," said Elphinstone, adding "quite a few" bears have been trapped and released this year. Some expert tips to keep bears away include: Do not leave garbage out in your bin for a long period of time, particularly if it contains waste with a strong odour such as fish. If possible, put your garbage out the night before or morning of pick-up. Remove the grease and charcoal from your barbecue after every use; replace lava rocks with ceramic bricks for ease of cleaning; turn the grill on high for several minutes to burn off food residue and grease; clean pits and grills with an ammonia-based cleaner to mask the smell. Do not burn garbage Ð the fire remains may attract bears. Do not use blood meal or fish-based products to fertilize your lawn or garden. Do not compost unless you can be certain the location is away from treed cover and it will not act as an attractant; do no compost meat, fish, fruit, vegetable, grease, oil or dairy products outdoors. Remove all bird feeders from April through to November. Birds have ample natural foods in the summer and do not need supplemental feed. In stressed food-availability years, a bear will choose this high quality and dependable year-round food supply over natural foods. While camping store all food in your vehicle; do not dispose of dishwater around your campsite; do not use cosmetics that emit strong fragrances ; do not keep synthetic-based products like perfume, deodorant and toothpaste in your tent.
