With bears active in many neighbourhoods across the Central Okanagan, the Regional District of Central Okanagan and WildSafeBC remind residents to manage their attractants, including household garbage to reduce conflicts with wildlife.
“Bears are known for their keen sense of smell and can easily become food conditioned,” said Cynthia Coates, RDCO Solid Waste Services Supervisor. “We ask that residents take steps to not attract bears or any wildlife to their garbage. If bears do get into garbage carts, they can pose an unnecessary danger to residents.”
For the third year in a row, the Regional District is partnering with WildSafeBC to help provide bear awareness across the entire Central Okanagan with a dedicated WildSafe Coordinator. The program helps reduce wildlife conflicts by providing education across the region, monitoring carts set out the night before pickup and monitoring bear and wildlife activity in general.
For WildSafeBC tips to keep wildlife wild and communities safe, residents are asked to:
For sightings of bears, cougars or coyotes in the community or to report wildlife human conflicts residents are asked to contact the BC Conservation Officer Service Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line at 1.877.952.7277.