With the recent warm weather, residents of Northeast BC are being urged to be alert and secure their garbage bins as bears wake up from their winter hibernation over the coming weeks.
There are between 120,000 and 150,000 black bears in the province and they become more active this time of year after months of sleep.
A key way the public can help reduce human-wildlife conflict and therefore fewer bear deaths, is to remove anything that could lure the animals to their properties—garbage being the top offender.
Attractants continue to drive a significant number of bear conflicts across B.C. Officials say residents, businesses and communities all need to do their part to secure attractants such as garbage, pet food and birdseed to help keep people safe and wildlife wild.
Wildlife safety advocates and conservation officers are urging residents to be aware of their surroundings when out in the woods.
Conservation officers in British Columbia killed 303 black bears in 2024 due to human-wildlife conflict, according to officials.
That’s almost half as many bears as the year previous, when an all-time high of 603 were destroyed.
Fort St. John reported the highest number of black bears killed among Peace Region municipalities, with a total of two. Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, and Fort Nelson each recorded one black bear death.
The unincorporated community of Pink Mountain led the count within the Peace River Regional District with seven of the bears killed.
Notably, there were no black bear deaths in Hudson’s Hope, where, in March 2024, the municipality started issuing $230 fines to residents under the Wildlife Act for failing to pick up fallen fruit from their yards.