Prince George region sees second-least enforcement actions in managing bear attractants

When it comes to reducing the number of human-wildlife conflicts, Prince George and its surrounding areas is doing okay compared to the rest of the province.

However, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) believes residents can still be reminded of the dangers of leaving food out for bears.

According to the BCCOS’ bear-attractant audit, 50 law enforcement actions took place in the summer this year, ending in October, out of 66 inspections within our region classified as Omnieca.

Despite that 75 per cent rate, the number of law enforcement actions is the second-least in the province with the Thompson-Cariboo receiving 33 actions out of 146 inspections.

The first phase of the bear-attractant audit focused on residential, recreational and commercial areas as Conservation officers inspected where unsecured attractants, such as garbage, pet food and compost led to issues.

“Public safety is paramount,” says BCCOS Chief Doug Forsdick in a news release as the service is determined to significantly reduce the role of attractants play in the number of bears needing to be put down each year through education and ‘strengthened enforcement measures.’

“The conservation officer service cannot stress enough that the best way to keep people safe and bears from being destroyed is to secure attractants around your home, business or campsite,” adds Forsick. 

“The conservation officer service hopes that through these attractant audits, the public will recognize that more needs to be done to ensure everyone does their part to help keep wildlife wild. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to ensure their attractants are properly managed.”

In the northwest, categorized as Skeena in the report, there were 54 enforcement actions out of 78 inspections, but in the northeast, there were more actions than there were inspections.

The Peace region received 57 enforcements out of 51 inspections.

As a whole, B.C. saw 732 law enforcement actions out of 704 inspections, which included 76 charges, 301 warnings and 355 protection orders, which gave property owners the chance to remove an attractant to be fined $575.

The next BCCOS bear-attractant audit is scheduled for Spring 2020 when the animals come out of hibernation and search for food.