By Patrick Burles - @Patrick Burles on Twitter

Fish and Wildlife Urge Bear Safety as Bruins Prepare for Hibernation

Sep 14, 2016 | 2:32 PM

ALBERTA – Those living anywhere near the mountains, including those in town, need to make a point of keeping their yards as clean as possible this time of year.

John Clarke, District Officer for Fish and Wildlife in Blairmore, responded to one of two incidents in the last two weeks, in which a bear had to be tranquilized and removed from the Town of Cardston.

“The only reason they’re there is for food and this time of year they really need to eat before they hibernate,” explained Clarke. “If they basically go into their dens without any fat they would die, right, because they have nothing. It’s all about survival, so they gotta eat.”

Working in the Crowsnest Pass, Clarke noted that bears venturing close to town isn’t uncommon, saying last year they had 27, half of which had to be moved while the other half they just scared off without any issues.

Clarke says the best way of keeping bears away from your property, is making sure you aren’t leaving an easy meal out for them. He added that two things stand out in particular.

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“Apple trees. Right now the rotting apples, they’ll smell that, and a big thing comes back to garbage. Make sure you have bear-proof garbage cans, that’s a pretty big deal, once they get fed they’re going to come back because it’s a free meal,” Clarke stated.

Most bears will start going into hibernation around the end of October, meaning more encounters with local bears and people are likely over the next month and a half.

“The big thing is not to panic. The bear got in there, he knows how to leave, but when people start panicking, that creates a panic in the animal.

“You can phone 911 or the Report a Poacher Hotline, that’s 1-800-642-3800 and that would go to Fish and Wildlife control centre and they would be able to get ahold of an officer to assist,” Clarke continued.

As part of Clarke’s efforts to protect both people and bears, he has been working with and training a group of volunteers for the Crowsnest Pass Bearsmart Association for the last seven years. The group helps by patrolling hot-spots around the community where bears are most likely to forage, and either scare them away or contact him for help.

“We actually have some resident bears who have always lived around here,” says Clarke, who noted that he has been able to put transmitters on several of them over the years to monitor their location. “I’ve got story after story about bears that live here and basically stay up in the woods, because they know there’s a limit, you can’t be in town… at the same time they’re teaching their kids, because they’ve got cubs.”