WildSafeBC volunteers are concerned that they were recently able to find 49 problematic garbage containers that had been left out overnight.
“We tagged 49 garbage containers—potentially 49 buckets of bear food—in two round of city garbage collection. There are still bears out looking for food,” said Joanne Siderius, WildSafeBC’s community coordinator.
“The North Shore, Blewett, Balfour and communities within Nelson have all reported bears still getting into garbage. Garbage is one of the main attractants for bears, not just in Nelson but in the surrounding rural communities as well,” she said.
The following are reminders to help keep wildlife wild and the communities safe.
-Keep your garbage in a location inaccessible to bears.
-If you do not have secure garbage storage, you can freeze the smelly items until collection day or take the garbage directly to the transfer station.
-A bear-resistant bin will reduce your chances of conflict.
Siderius reminded residents to report any sightings or conflicts to the conservation officer hotline at 1-877-952-7277. For more information visit wildsafebc.com.