A suburban neighbourhood of west Coquitlam heard shots ring out Monday as conservation officers put down a bear that had been eating garbage out of someone’s overturned waste cart.
The female bear, approximately three years old, had been spotted going door to door eating garbage that was not secure.
And the city will be issuing $500 tickets for garbage violations to five homes in the area.
Conservation Officer Jack Trudgian said he was called to the scene and determined that the bear could be a conflict risk because it was eating human garbage and was not afraid when he approached it to take a photo.
“That bear should have run away,” Trudgian said, speculating that the bruin may have come from nearby Mundy Park but was still a long way from a green belt and was right in the middle of an urban neighbourhood.
“It’s pretty sad to see a bear eating garbage and you can walk up there and take a photo. This is why people need to secure their garbage.”
In fact, it’s illegal to have bear attractants in your yard and the city could issue a $500 fine for the infraction. As well, food waste is banned from city waste carts and is supposed to be deposited in the green waste carts, preferably frozen and on garbage pick-up day.
The city of Coquitlam will be issuing five $500 tickets under the Wildlife & Vector Control Bylaw for garbage that wasn’t secured and was therefore accessed by this bear.
So far this year, Coquitlam has issued 387 tickets for garbage violations, with fines of up to $500 but only $250 or $400 if people pay early, depending on the infraction.
Westwood Plateau, Burke Mountain, Chineside and Mundy Park have all had recent bear activity, according to WildsafeBC.com, but bear sightings have also stretched into the Ranch Park and Dartmoor neighbourhoods as well as near Como Lake and Rochester Avenue.
You can view the latest bear sightings at https//wildsafebc.com/warp/.
