Bear Awareness

Be aware! People and bears are sharing space all over British Columbia so it's important that we learn how to live with them harmoniously. More than 600 bears are killed every year in British Columbia because of bear-human conflicts.

Bears have a very keen sense of smell and are easily attracted to improperly managed garbage. Bears that forage on easily accessible fruit are also drawn close to neighbourhoods and to other sources of food such as compost, bird feeders and barbeques. Bears may break into sheds or homes to find what they can smell from a distance. Bears quickly become habituated to these foods and spend more time in the city near homes and businesses. Habituated bears are perceived as a safety risk and are shot.

Bears cannot change their behaviour - but we can. We can prevent this safety risk and the needless deaths of bears by removing and managing attractants.

Bears in Your Neighbourhood

Keep Garbage Out of Reach

Garbage is not healthy for bears. When bears learn that garbage means food, they come back to it again and again.

Residents are reminded that the City's Waste Management and Wildlife Attractant Bylaw requires that all garbage be safely stored so it is not accessible by wildlife. Store garbage and recycling indoors, in a  sturdy shed or in a bear-resistant garbage container. Garbage should be brought to the curb only on the morning of your designated garbage pick-up day (by 7 a.m. but not before 5 a.m.).

Compost Responsibly & Pick All Ripe Fruit

Bears are omnivores and love eating vegetation, berries and other fruits.  Make sure your backyard isn't providing lunch for bears! Check for  these bear attractants:

• Compost responsibly
• Feed pets indoors
• Freeze smelly garbage (like chicken and fish)
• Keep garbage containers clean
• Keep your barbeque clean
• Pick fruit as it ripens
• Remove bird feeders between April and November
• Remove unwanted fruit trees
• Store pet food indoors

Remember a Fed Bear is a Dead Bear

Feeding  bears, even unintentionally, is against the law in British Columbia  (see the Dangerous Wildlife Protection Act - Section 88.1) Report Bear  Encounters

To report an aggressive bear / dangerous encounter  (bluff charging, property damage) or a bear sighting, please call the  RAPP number 877-952-7277. A call to the RAPP line puts you in touch with an operator who can provide advice and will contact a Conservation  Officer if further action is necessary. You can also contact the Nelson  Police Department about bear safety issues in the City of Nelson by calling 250-354-3919.

Contact the Bear Aware Coordinator

Bear  Aware is a community education program administered by the BC Conservation Foundation and is funded by the Province, the Regional District of Central Kootenay and the City of Nelson. The City of Nelson supports this provincial program to help raise awareness of bears in the community and to educate residents about how they can take action to minimize bear-human contact.