Photo by Vince Fedoroff
AWAITING THE BRUIN – This bear trap, seen this morning, has been set in the Whitehorse area.
Live traps set, warnings posted as bear roams around the city
City trail users are being advised to carry bear spray and use caution after numerous sightings of a brown-coloured black bear being spotted around town.
City trail users are being advised to carry bear spray and use caution after numerous sightings of a brown-coloured black bear being spotted around town.
Reports of the bear began coming into Environment Yukon Monday morning.
There have been sightings around the former tank farm site in Hillcrest, around the clay cliffs as well as in the Hamilton Boulevard area.
“So far, the bear hasn’t caused any trouble – no reports yet of it getting into garbage,” Environment Yukon said in a statement this morning.
“Because it is active during daylight hours, people walking on trails should remember to keep bear spray handy and travel as a group.”
Conservation officer Ken Knutson said in an interview this morning that based on the sightings, it’s believed the bear is about four or five years old. It could be the same bear that was seen in the area last year.
While the bear is known to be in the area, it seems to continue to be fairly easily spooked, and there have not yet been any conflicts.
Knutson noted his hope that the bear would not “get a reward” – come across any garbage – at any point.
Last year, two cubs were orphaned when their mother sow was shot after getting into residents’ backyards after she had come across garbage and continued to search for it rather than berries.
The orphaned cubs were moved, and remain, at the Calgary Zoo.
Live traps have been set, and warning signs about the bear have been posted in some areas of town, including at the Black Street stairs up the escarpment.
It’s hoped the bear can be relocated.
“The public is asked to call the TIPP line at 1-800-661-0525 if you spot this bear or any others in urban Whitehorse,” Environment Yukon noted.
“Conservation officers are monitoring bear activity closely. Please remember to put out garbage/compost wheelie bins in the morning of – not the night before – pickup day to minimize the risk of human/wildlife conflict.”
Knutson noted the importance of securing all attractants from bears.
Information on bear safety as well as a bear incident map is available on the Environment Yukon website at www.env.gov.yk.ca.
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Comments (8)
Up 0 Down 0
Observer on Jun 16, 2015 at 1:35 am
@Mr. Marshmallow - We learn the most when we realize how little it is that we really know. Many realize that there are bears that wander around in the vast area of the wilderness city. That's what makes us the wilderness city. Some may realize that a dog's smell is let's say 50 times better than a human's. Let's also say that a bear's smell is 2000 times better than a human's. If garbage is allowed to rot for 2 weeks before it is picked up, is there any wonder that a bear somewhere within the city limits will be attracted to that 'reward'? These bins are seldom washed out and the smell wafts out accordingly attracting hungry animals.
I know I learned something here and I hope you might have also but, maybe not.
Up 5 Down 0
Marshmellow on Jun 15, 2015 at 8:42 am
What!?.....there's a Bear roaming around the City!
Up 4 Down 0
CJ on Jun 14, 2015 at 12:24 am
@really, a bear won't necessarily break into your garage, it's all about not making it easy for them, which is what the locks are doing. Most bears will move on to easier pastures. It's not ideal, but it's what we have for now.
I agree that compost is a problem. I won't do it at my place, where I don't get curbside pick-up. It seems like a no-brainer to me. The city hasn't been all that responsive to the issue. They could increase the pickup for a couple of months every year, or smooth the way to drop it off at the landfill, or who knows, come up with a good solution on their own. Once the city acknowledges they have a role in this beyond handing out tickets and shaking their finger at us, and that the means is at hand, I have a feeling that an effective strategy would follow.
We've been heartbreakingly lax in finding bearsmart solutions as activities are approved that are problematic for them (e.g. compost, chicken coops). I think we should be more positive rather than punitive. Without presenting some compromise on the stuff people find difficult, like storing compost bins for 2 weeks , it's just adversarial to talk about fines and shaming. It's about protecting the bears, we should be able to take pride in supporting things that keep the bears in the wild, rather than passively encouraging them to stay near the city. We should be able to brag about it.
Up 6 Down 0
north_of_60 on Jun 13, 2015 at 10:16 pm
The CoW doesn't care, they get "sustainability' awards for having a mandatory compost collection system, not for one that actually works. The fact that their urban-focused 'planners' purchased bear-friendly compost bins is not surprising.
It's all about the process looking good, not if the end-product actually works well.
They're making the same mistake with their mandatory curbside recycling pick-up. Perhaps that will mean the compost in the bottom of the bin rots for three weeks before it's picked up. So called 'planners' educated in the south don't care about the lives of Yukon bears.
Up 11 Down 3
really on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:57 pm
If I were to put my compost bin in the garage (which I am not about to do) the bear or bears would be able to smell it in there and cause more damage. Garage doors are not air tight. Go into any garage and you can see daylight coming in through the car door. For the houses without garages where would you like those houses to store their compost bins? Finally sometimes you have to put your garbage/compost bins out on Friday if pick up is Monday and you are out of town... I think a better solution would be a weekly pick up of compost and weekly pick up of garbage so that the waste is not rotting for two weeks.
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Grangerer on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Yes, ticketing, fining, and public shaming for people who try to help slow the inevitable filling and relocation of the city dump by diverting compostables would surely encourage composting wouldn't it? Personally the first time I saw that happen I would be on the phone to the City Of Whitehorse telling them to come take THIER compost container back.
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WestofBelfast on Jun 10, 2015 at 12:58 pm
Jim: Not sure about getting rid of the bins; lots of people have become avid composters over the years and getting rid of the bins would likely result in backyard compost areas that would add to the problem, not solve it. In terms of the locks, they are not mandatory as you suggest (that should have been considered when they were introduced and not after the fact. There is a government sponsored trial in Granger that uses simple securing devices. I agree we should be ticketing and fining people who attract dangerous wildlife under the authority of the Wildlife Act. Many jurisdictions don't allow you to put out your bins prior to 5 am for instance, whereas here people routinely put them out the night before pick-up. Public shaming? Not sure I agree with the Scarlett Letter approach. Where there are bears and people that don't control their attractants, we'll always have this issue...it is just a matter of lessening the occasions, and being more vigilant in years where weather might have a negative impact on natural food sources like berries.
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Jim Lahey on Jun 10, 2015 at 10:53 am
"It’s hoped the bear can be relocated."
I don't see any push from you so called animal saviors to get rid of the useless compost bins or at least require them to have locks. Or actually ticket and fine offenders. Including public shaming them. But like cops and the drug war, if there was no bears or problem wildlife then there wouldn't be much to do right? So solving the problem isn't much of a concern. I love facts.