Bears are active in Coquitlam, and as the summer weather returns, the City is reminding everyone to be bear smart. Residents, park visitors, and businesses are encouraged to be proactive in preventing bears from accessing attractants.
COQUITLAM, B.C., July 3, 2024 – Bears are active in Coquitlam, and as the summer weather returns, the City is reminding everyone to be bear smart. Residents, park visitors, and businesses are encouraged to be proactive in preventing bears from accessing attractants like garbage, pet food, birdseed or fruit trees.
Recent bear sightings have increased around parks, natural areas and neighborhoods. City staff actively patrol these areas, targeting attractants such as improperly stored garbage and green carts. It's crucial for everyone to do their part in minimizing opportunities for bear encounters.
Secure Your Attractants
Bears possess a powerful sense of smell and are naturally drawn to food sources left unsecured, whether in parks or on private properties.
- Picnic priorities: Always supervise and properly store food during outdoor activities, even if it's stored in coolers or lunch kits.
- Protect Your property:
- Secure entry points such as garage doors and lower level windows.
- Store garbage, food waste, and recycling in secure areas like locked garages or wildlife-resistant enclosures.
- Always use your green cart for food waste disposal as its picked up weekly
- Place carts and bins out for collection after 5:30 a.m. on collection day, not the night before.
- If you are having difficulty storing food waste so that it is inaccessible to wildlife, consider dropping it off at Town Centre Recycling Depot
When bears associate food with humans, they pose greater risk to public safety. Common attractants include unsecured garbage and green waste, fruit trees, berry bushes, birdseed, and dirty barbecues. By being bear smart and making populated areas less appealing, we encourage bears to forage naturally in their habitats.
Property owners who allow wildlife to access attractants—even unintentionally—may receive a $500 fine. Visit coquitlam.ca/BearSmart for more information.
Bear Encounters
If you see a bear while out in nature, please follow these tips:
- Stop and remain calm - often the bear is just passing through and will move on.
- Do not scream or run.
- Make yourself look big.
- Talk in a low and calm voice while backing away slowly.
- Keep away from the bear and warn others to do the same.
- Pack out what you pack in.
Coquitlam as a Bear Smart Community
In February 2017, Coquitlam was recognized by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy as a Bear Smart community. This voluntary program aims to prevent human-bear conflicts by addressing root causes and reducing risks to safety and property. Learn more about the Bear Smart Community Program here.
Everyone’s Role in Bear Conservation
It's up to each of us to be Bear Smart. City staff are available to offer advice on making your property less attractive to bears, particularly concerning garbage management.
For more information on securing attractants and to report wildlife issues, visit coquitlam.ca/BearSmart or contact the City at 604-927-3660 or UrbanWildlife@coquitlam.ca. For emergencies involving wildlife threatening public safety or causing property damage, contact the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
Together, we can ensure a safer environment for both bears and our community.
Media contact:
Caresse Selk
Manager Environment
604-927-3500
UrbanWildlife@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.