Yukoners will see more dangerous wildlife protection orders issued, owing to the Department of Environment’s plan to crack down on bear attractants.

The department reported 163 bear incidents in 2019, with 33 bears killed and 12 translocated.

Eleven bears were killed by the public, in defence of life or property. Conservation officers killed 22 bears.

This is the lowest number of bear deaths in the Yukon since 2016 and shows a marked improvement for human-bear conflict in the territory.

“While those numbers are encouraging, there’s still a lot of room for improvement,” Heather Avery, an Environment communications analyst, told media at a press conference Thursday morning.

Conservation officers Jim Welsh and David Bakica told reporters the drop in human-bear conflict is likely thanks to a plentiful harvest this fall.

Thanks to the warm spring and summer season, there were good berry crops and natural forage opportunities, which meant bears were happy to graze in their natural habitat.

In the two years previous, poor weather conditions led to lacklustre natural forage opportunities, so bears were more likely to wander into people’s backyards and scavenge in gardens and garbage bins.

In 2018, there were 267 bear incidents, with 54 killed and 58 translocated–– nearly double this year’s numbers.

Bakica noted that for conservation officers, public safety is the first priority, and the destruction of bears is “always a last resort.”

The department is expecting a potential increase in bear conflict as Whitehorse grows, with urban sprawl expanding farther into bear habitat.

More houses will mean more garbage, gardens, bird feeders and chicken coops, all of which are bear attractants, Bakica said.

As a proactive measure, conservation officers are working on an awareness campaign that will teach Yukoners how to manage the bear attractants on their property. This will be particularly relevant for new Yukoners.

Chicken coops, in particular, are likely to pose a problem, Bakica said. A number of conflicts arose this year where bears were attracted to coops in both urban and rural areas.

“They are a food source for bears –– if they get the opportunity, they will go after them,” Bakica said. “Once the bears find those food sources, they will continue to use that knowledge.”

The department is strongly recommending that Yukoners install electric fencing around chicken coops to deter bears.

There are currently no regulations requiring Yukoners to protect chickens with electric fences. Bakica said he would be interested in seeing the introduction of such rules in the future.

In the meantime, conservation officers plan to issue more dangerous wildlife protection orders to Yukoners with unprotected bear attractants, like coops.

These orders will contain instructions on how to manage and mitigate bear attractants, with a directive to comply with the instructions within a certain timeframe.

If the order is not followed within the time allotted, it will trigger either an extension or the laying of charges and a fine, Avery said. The maximum fine is $50,000, and would be decided in court.

Only a handful of these orders were issued in 2018 and no charges were laid.

Bakica clarified that the issuance of these orders will most often be in response to a conflict or complaint.

“We’re not going to be driving around subdivisions looking for people with chickens that aren’t electrified,” he said.

Bakica said the onus is ultimately on Yukoners to bear-proof their properties.

“Management of attractants is the most important thing Yukoners can do to keep bears alive,” he said. “There’s space for both of us in the territory.”

The bear safety campaign will also aim to educate Yukoners on bear conflict in wintertime.

“We commonly have reports of bear encounters at this time of year,” Jim Welsh told reporters.

“A bear that’s out at this time of year –– it’s highly probably something has gone wrong.”

This could mean a bear was injured, pushed out of the den or has inadequate fat reserves to stay in hibernation.

It’s important that Yukoners stay vigilant during the winter months, Welsh said. This means carrying bear spray and ensuring the bear spray doesn’t freeze, by storing it in a warm place.