At least one bear has woken up from winter hibernation and has been roaming the neighbourhood of Brackendale in search of a meal.
Since the beginning of February, there have been several reported bear sightings in Brackendale, and each time the bear has been seen, garbage has been involved.
Early in the morning of Feb 6, Diane Murphy heard a crash outside of her kitchen window, and assumed it was a dog or raccoon rummaging around outside her Birken Road home.
"I was surprised to see a bear," said Murphy. "He took a bag of garbage and started eating it in front of my place."
When Murphy's neighbour pulled into her driveway, the bear scampered up a tree momentarily before coming back down to finish what he started.
"It left before the kids went to school," she said. "He seemed quite brave. He just went about his business and left after he ate the garbage."
A few days earlier, Brackendale resident Bill Berg received an early 4:30 a.m. wake-up call compliments of what is believed to be the same bear.
"It was trying to get into my compost bin," he said. "He couldn't get in because it was locked so he kept pounding on it, that's what woke me up."
Berg said he talked to the bear to let him know he was there, and the bear then stood up before climbing up a cedar tree in his backyard.
"A couple minutes later he came down, climbed a small fence, walked out of the yard and was gone."
Berg didn't report the sighting because he knows what can happen to bears who become accustomed to the taste and smell of human food.
"I didn't want to see him killed," he said. "He's just a bear going about his business, he didn't bother anybody. It was no big deal. They're just hungry and some people have fruit trees that haven't been harvested, so they're just looking for something to eat."
Although they should be in a deep winter sleep this time of the year, black bears can come out of hibernation if there is a readily available food source within eating distance.
"Bear sightings do happen occasionally, but it's not normal at this time of year," said Conservation Officer Chris Doyle. "If a bear has easy access to garbage and other attractants, they may not hibernate."
Because of the reported sightings, Doyle and his colleagues have set up a live culvert trap in Brackendale. If they do catch the bear, they will assess the health of the animal to see if he can be relocated.
Unfortunately, because the bear has been exposed to non-natural foods that he/she will constantly keep accessing, the possibility exists that the bear won't return to hibernation.
If relocation is not an option, the bear could be destroyed.
"That's the last thing we want to happen," said Doyle.
The District of Squamish has no bylaws restricting how garbage must be stored outside.
"Every few days there have been reports of sightings which have all been linked to garbage, said Doyle. "People need to contain any attractants (birdseed, garbage, food scraps, dog food, etc.) into a proper container and be kept indoors or in a locked shed."
To report any wildlife sightings or to report any environmental violations, please call the wildlife conservation hotline at 1-800-663-WILD.
