The frantic cries of two bear cubs trapped in a dumpster at Summit middle school Wednesday morning resulted in the tranquilizing and removal of a bear family.
A mother bear and three cubs were checking out an open dumpster for food at the Coquitlam school when two of the cubs fell in. Their crying woke-up nearby residents who called police at about 2 a.m.
"They treed the mother bear and one cub, tranquilized and contained them. Then they were left with two cubs making quite a racket in the dumpster," said School District 43 spokesperson Cheryl Quinton who arrived on the scene around 7:30 a.m.
The area at the east of the school was cordoned off and students were directed to the front of the school but by 8:30 a.m. the two remaining bears had been removed from the dumpster, posing no danger to students.
Quinton confirmed that the dumpsters are supposed be locked at night and said an investigation will be conducted into reasons why it was left open.
She said blackberry bushes around the school were also recently removed to avoid attracting bears.
A B.C. Conservation Officer confirmed that the female bear was destroyed and the three cubs taken to Critter Care wildlife refuge in Langley. However, Insp. Chris Doyle also noted that the female bear had become habituated to garbage and was not a suitable candidate for relocation.
"Based on the conflict history of the sow, it was determined she was not a candidate for translocation and was also not safe to leave in the community due to the food conditioning behaviour as well as history of being in an urban or developed area," Doyle told The News..
Summit middle school is a low-to-moderate hazard school even though the property is along the Scott Creek corridor frequented by bears, according to a 2006 Bear Hazard Assessment conducted by consultants hired by the city of Coquitlam.
The report recommended blackberry bush removal, regular emptying of trash bins and locking the dumpster.
Coquitlam Bear Aware coordinator Drake Stephens said he conducted a routine site visit to the school just last week and found the school grounds clean and noted that garbage was emptied on a regular basis.
"I think this school is in wildlife habitat and because of it's location, they see wildlife frequently and they've been doing a pretty good job. This is an unfortunate event."
So far 15 bears have been destroyed in the Tri-Cities this year, all but two of them euthanized because they had become habituated to human garbage. Two bear cubs were sent to Critter Care this summer when their mother was destroyed in Anmore for food conditioning.
[email protected]
