RCMP seek non-lethal solutions to bear control Anna Marie O’Angelo News Reporter adangclo@nsnews.com THEY will be back — and soon. Black bears are expected to come out of hibernation within the next few weeks. Many North Shore residents do not sant a repeat of fast vear'’s carnage when a record 36 bears who ventured into suburban areas were killed on the North Shore. Tt was not a typical vear. In 1998 only nine were Killed, the year before that, four. The high number of bears killed and report- ed bear problems last vear were partially explained by a long winter that caused the bears’ natural food yields to be late. Many people were upset by the almost week- ly reports of bears being killed on the North Shore. Public pressure increased to find an alter- native to Jethal force in handling bear problems. Local Mounties are hoping the contents of what looks like a small plastic tool box will save the lives of some bears. On Feo. 17, North Vancouver RCMP Insp Keith Thorn revealed the contents of that non- lethal bear kit, which will be used this year, Thorn was speaking at a “Non-lethal Black Bear Management” meeting held in North Vancouver District’s operations building on Crown Svreet. Thorn, who is one of the top three police officers in North Vancouver, said he came away a believer in non-lethal bear management after attending a presentation by Steve Searles in Whisder fast October. “To be quite honest I was a skeptic. What is this guy coming up from California trying to tell me all about bears?” said Thorn. .. Searles, of Mammoth Lakes, California, * developed a program aimed at teaching a bear to associate negative conditioning with human dominance. The program cries to re-instill the bear’s natural fear of humans. A bear is not allowed to enter a human’s “den” (yard) without being made aware that that is unacceptable and won’t be tolerated. The bear must be evicted in no uncertain terms. Searles believes bears must respect humans and humans must respect bears in their greenbelt and wilderness areas. - Said Thorn,“Contrary to the signs in Canada that say a garbage bear is a dead bear, Steve has shown that is not necessarily the case.” When it comes to dealing with bears, Thorn . said police have never been trained to do any- : thing except shoot them. (Black bears have been killed on the North Shore by conservation offi- cers and police officers.) This year at least wo on-duty Mounties will Bear Statistics for the North Shore SUNDAY FOCUS Sunday, February 27, 2000 - North Shore News - 3 NEWS photos Mike Wakefle!d NORTH Vancouver RCMP Insp. Keith Thorn holds up one of the loud noise cartridges that police will fire during hazing of a bear. Thorn hopes hazing will reduce the numbers of dears killed in North Vancouver urban areas. RCMP, conservation co-aperation sought be trained to use hazing tactics to get rid of problem bears. The hazing (harassing) equipment is in a kit that costs about $375. The kit contains a starter pistol which fires .22-calibre blanks. The pistol can fire a “scream- er” or “banger” which make loud noises. Bangers explode and can be a fire hazard. A large can of bear spray or pepper spray is also in the kit. (Thorn said the spray would like- ly get little use because the bear must be close to be pepper-sprayed.) There are also bangers that get shot out of a 12-gauge shotgun and are louder than the pistol type. Rubber buckshot and rubber slugs are in the kit. There are also lead slugs tor killing a bear, Thorn said the bangers and screamers are See Bear page 10 Bear Statistics for the Province of BC ee ale motets ‘Complaints 308 Attended 144 194 112 Relocated 176 Destroyed 38 36 &2 89 27 30 a7 4i Black Bear 7,037 11,734 2,152 3,274 862,476 1,619 1,138 - 108 83 ot Environment, Lands & Parks 10,316 Anna Marie D'Angeis News Reporter adange- lo@nsnews.com THE senior conserva- tion officer for the North Shore supports hazing bears ta keep them away from people. Bur Rick Hahn, senior con- servation officer for the Lower Fraser Valley and Squamish, said that he wished North Vancouver Mounties had wait- ed befure starting a hazing program so that the conserva- ton officers and police could do the same program jointly. “I have some concerns that if they (North Vancouver RCMP) proceed on their own without some training from us in regards to what to expect from a bear they might find themselves getting into trou- ble,” said Hahn. Hahn said he has talked to North Vancouver RCMP Insp. Keith Thorn about his con- cerns. Hahn hopes to do a train- ing session with Mounties and conservation officers so that “we are all reading off the same page.” He said the conservation office has not yet developed a hazing policy to use on bears found in urban areas. Hahn said the provincial government is developing a policy that would apply throughout B.C, and not just in the Lower Mainland. He said he hoped that the hazing policy would be in place by the end of May when all bears are out of hibernation. North Vancouver Mounties are following Whistler’s suc- cessful non-lethal bear man- agement program. Hahn said the hazing kits are aimed at driving a black bear back into its normal habi- tat. They will not necessarily educate a bear into staying away from humans for the long-term, as is the case in aversion programs. Hahn agrees with local Mounties that the hazing pro- gram will not prevent bears from being killed in urban areas. “There are certain bears no macter what technique you use that are not candidates for pushing back into the habitat. And they are not candidates for relocation,” said Hahn. He noted that many relo- cated bears do not survive life in a new area. Hahn said that large healthy male bears start to come out of hibernation in mid-March. The last bears to emerge are mothers with young cubs. They come out in May when the cubs are big enough to keep up and wander with mother bears. ' Hahn advises people to put only citrus fruit in composters because bears produce their own Vitamin C and don’t like citrus fruit. He said peopie should not put apples, cherries, berries, plums and pears in composters during bear season. Hahn docs not believe that ant lime will deter a determined bear from getting into a com- poster, He advisers a “no bird feeders period,” especially for residents living on the edge of a forest or green belt. As far as new provincial leg- islation enacted last year pro- hibiting, wildlife “attractants” in yards, Hahn said residents are given warnings first in the form of a dangerous wildlife order. Ifa resident contravenes the order, he or she may be fined. Hahn said a composter, bird feeder or stored garbage can be attractants to dangerous wildiife such as bears. According to the Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks, the fine. for attracting dangerous wildlife has no low limit and may go as high as $50,000 and or result in six months in jail. Coming in Sunday Focus NEXT week in Sunday Focus news editor Michael Becker takes a look at a new low-cost low-tech low- impact sustainable alterna- tive to individual motorized transportation. To suggest a feature story thar deserves to be “in Focus” write to Martin Millerchip, North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave.,’ North Vancouver, V7M 214; fax 985-2104, or e-mail «mmillerchip@nsnews.com>.