Black bears are still very active in much of the province. This is a critical time of year when natural foods begin to wane and bears are preparing for winter denning. They may be consuming an average of 20,000 calories per day to put on the fat they need to survive over the winter. Bears lose about 30% of their body weight over winter and do not eat, drink or defecate while denning. Ensure that bears are not learning to find unnatural foods in your community. This can lead to food-conditioning, a learned behaviour where bears associate people with food. Keep your garbage secure. The red bears in this map denote bears that were accessing garbage. Also, avoid the temptation to put your bird feeder up too soon. Check out WildSafeBC’s Wildlife Alert Reporting Program to sign up for free alerts in your community: https://wildsafebc.com/programs/what-is-warp/

A moose calf has been reported running around the lookout off the Fording Highway in Elkford. Motorists, thank you for slowing down and avoiding collisons with this moose calf. For moire information on moose safety visit https://wildsafebc.com/species/moose/

October 15. Bears reported getting into garbage left outside on 4th avenue, bear sightings reported on Piedmont Drive and a grizzly bear was seen crossing highway 3 by the Stanford Inn headed toward the Fernie Fox Hotel.

Be prepared and expect to encounter wildlife anytime. Have fun and be safe.

Do not stop in your vehicle or approach this grizzly bear defending a carcass. For more information on grizzly bear safety visit https://wildsafebc.com/species/grizzly-bear/

October 9^th.  There have been grizzly and black bears reported throughout the Elk Valley and South Country. 

Sparwood:  grizzly bear feeding on a carcass on lower Elk Valley road by Whispering Pines MHP.

Grassmere:  grizzly and cub accessing fruit trees and causing property damage

Elko:  black bear reported clawing at a window ay a home on Combi Street

Fernie:  black bears reported all over town feeding on apple trees in back yards, getting into garbage left outdoors between collection days and travelling through parks in broad daylight.

We live in bear country, thank you for preventing human/wildlife conflict at home, in our parks, trails and in the back country.

Do not stop in your vehicle or approach this grizzly bear defending a carcass. For more information on grizzly bears go to https://wildsafebc.com/species/grizzly-bear/

October 6. A bear and two cubs were seen swimming across the river from the Stanford Inn to James White Park and another bear was seen on the dike trail above the disk gold course yesterday afternoon.

Thank you for preventing human/wildlife encounters in our parks, trails and at home.  Keep dogs under close control, keep garbage indoors until day of collection, clean up apple trees and secure any other bear attractant.  The end result will be a cleaner and safer community for everyone. 

Bears accessing garbage on 4th Avenue and in Ridgemont in Fernie. Please keep all garbage locked up and inaccesible to bears and cllean up fruit trees. The end result be be a safer community fior your family and prevent the needless destruction of bears.

Thanks for being a good neighbor and not putting your neighborhood in harm’s way by picking all fruit as soon as possible and assisting elderly neighbors who may be unable to pick their fruit. If you are unable to manage your fruit trees due to illness, disability or you are elderly contact 250-423-8665 to arrange for volunteers to pick your fruit. Consider pruning and/or removing fruit trees and replacing them with native non-fruit bearing trees. 

Keeping garbage away from bears and cleaning up fruit trees will result in a cleaner and safer community for everyone.