Bow Valley residents urged to remove fruit from trees and bushes to avoid attracting hungry bears
'They'll be following their noses into town. We want them to just pass through.'
People living along the Bow Valley in Alberta are being encouraged to remove fruits and berries from trees and bushes on their property — or remove the plants altogether — to prevent hungry bears from visiting their communities.
Bow Valley WildSmart, a conservation program run out of the Biosphere Institute, said on Aug. 20 that there have been multiple recent sightings of black bears looking for food and getting into fruit trees in residential areas in Canmore and in nearby hamlets in the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8.
"They'll be following their noses into town," said Nick de Ruyter, WildSmart program director. "We want them to just pass through. We don't want them to linger and find a nice reward in our backyards."
WildSmart said bears are dealing with a sub-par wild berry crop this season and now is the time of year when they're trying to fatten up for winter and hibernation.
Buffalo berries are a big food source for bears, but WildSmart said there has been an increase in black bear activity where there are dogwood berries, and a black bear family was seen earlier this month feeding on cherries near trails along the Bow River in Canmore.
de Ruyter said other attractants can include mountain ash and crab apples.
"We want to try and avoid that because bears in backyards and in town, near playgrounds, that's a potential for public safety risks," he said.
According to an education campaign from the Town of Banff and the Town of Canmore, when bears learn where to get food, they'll return there again and again, getting bolder each time: "Even without contact, a bear in town may need to be relocated away from its home. Repeat visitors may even need to be killed."
The Town of Canmore runs a voluntary fruit tree removal program where it will help cover the cost of removing fruit-bearing trees in certain areas.
WildSmart also has pruning shears and extendable fruit pickers that can be borrowed for free by any Bow Valley resident who is removing fruit and berries from their trees.
The program is urging people to remove garbage, pet food and bird feeders that can attract hungry bears as well.
Any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in Kananaskis Country or the Bow Valley can be reported to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403-591-7755.
With files from Dave Gilson.