4 — Friday, Juiy 23, 1999 —- North Shore News Avo BEARS are raturally wary of humans and will generally avoid human interaction. Black bears may, however, threaten and possibly auack, when they become accustomed to humans, or when they are surprised, forced to defend them- selves, their young or their food. The following information is taken from these Web sites: Bhoww. bearorg/exhibit.html B wwew.americanbear.org/links.htm www.worldweb.com/ParksCanada- Bant¥/bears.htmi The precautions wili reduce the risk of an encounter with bears: 9090 In the woods: & Make noise! Let bears know you are there. Sing, clap hands, talk loudly, ete. Take extra care in arcas such as near streams, dense vegetation, berry patches and areas of low visibility. Bears do nat like surprises. Recognize and avoid porential situations that may lead to an encounter with a bear. Travel in groups, on established paths and qails, and during daylight hours. & Keep food smells away from bears by properly storing food and disposing of gareage This includes pet food. Stay alert, watch for bears and for signs of bear presence (tracks, sounds, Bear sightings increase on N. Shore droprings, diggings, rorn up logs and turned over rocks). Leave the area if vou see fresh signs or suspect bear presence. Ifyou come across large dead animals, leave the area immediately. @ Never approach or feed a bear. Check with local park rangers or wildlife officers for the presence of bears before heading into the woods. QQ Around the home: 8) Be alert, in the Lower Mainland bears may be active all year round. 8 Do not teed bears. @ Garbage containers should be kept indoors inside a locked shed, garage or basement until pick-up day. Dispose of bage regularly. If bears are known to ¢ near your neighbourhood, do not place scrap foed in the garbage night away. To reduce odours, place scraps in the freezer until garbage day. & The smells of cooking meat and the smell of an unclean barbecue gill can attract bears. Store barbecues inside. '@ Pick fruit daily from fruit tees as it ripens; de nor ailuw it to fail. @ Dogs may be an cffective warning if a bear is near, but make sure all dogs ere restrained or in a fenced yard. & Enclose compost heaps, bechives and other bear food sources with strong chain-link or electric fencing. Electric id and survive bear enc fencing, may be needed if the bears per- sist. O00 If you encounter a bear: Bears are intciligent and complex animals. Each bear and cach encounter is unique: there is no single strategy that wiil work in all situations. Here are some guidelines. B Stay calm — most bears don’t want to attack you. Bears may bluff their way out of an encounter by charging and then turning away at the last second. Bears will also react defensively by “woofing,” growling, snapping their jaws and laying their cars back. % Immediately pick up small children and stay in a group. § Do not drop your pack, it can provide pretection if necessary. Back away slowly, never run. Bears can run as fast as a race horse, both uphill snd down. Talk calmly and firmly. If a bear rears up on its hind legs and waves its nose about, it is trying to identify you. Remain still and talk calmly sc it knows you are human and not a prey animal. A scream or sudden movement may trig- ger an attack, @ Weave the area or take a detour. If impossible, remain calm and wait until the bear moves away. Always leave the juniers bear an escape route. gag If you surprise a bear and it defends itself: If you have bear spray, use it. aggressive contact has occurred or is imoninent, play dead. Lie on your stom- ach with your legs apart, protect your face, back of your head and neck with your arms. Remain still until the bear leaves the area. These attacks are very rare and scldom last more than a few minutes. Fighting back usualiy increases the intensity of the attack. If the attack continues for more than a few minutes, consider fight- ing, back. 200 If a bear stalks you and then attacks, or attacks at night: WS Do not play dead — fight back. This kind of attack is very rare but can be serious because it likely means the bear is looking for food and preying on you. First try to escape, preferably toa build- ing, car or up a tree. If you can’t escape, or if the bear follows, use bear spray, or shout and try to intimidate the bear with a branch or rock. Do whatever you can to let the bear know you are not casy prey. — compiled by NVD envirenmental manager Ken Benssett @ accustomed to human food or garbage; B too young to establish a ter- ritory; From page “We hear that a bad bear is a dead bear,” said Carolan. Recent reported bear sight- ings have included: Ma five-hour chase of'a bear by RCMP officers and conserva- tion officers in the Myrtle Park area of Decp Cove last Friday. The bear was reportedly shot with a tranguilizer dart but escaped; @ a bear outside the Ron Andrews recCentre on Monday; @ a bear cating birdsecd froma feeder on the porch of a Deep Cove home carly Tuesday morning; and a bear wandering trails and streets in the McCartacy Creck area of Seymour Tuesday evening. Coun. Lisa Muri told the News she would place signs on the birdfceders for sale in her uncle’s hardware store advising Ic noz to fill them wi seed during the summer. “People should know not to leave garbage out in the summer but they don’t realize that things like birdfeeders are an attraction to bears.” Conservation officers work- ing for the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks will not move a bear if it is: @ aggressive; @ wounded, sick, starving, or ola, @ immediately hazardous to people or property. According to the policy posted on the environment ministry’s Web site problem bears that cannot be moved are destroyed. Bears are only moved if they pose a threat to human life or property; live bear traps can be used safely; the bear cai Could you steal a camcorder from this guy? ’cause nis prices should make you feel just a lictle bit guilty! Our Video Manager, Pat Sacheli;“ | RCMP seek store robber THE North Vancouver RCMP are asking the pub- lic’s assistance in identify- ing 2 man who brandished an Exacto knife when he held up the North Shore Yet Store on June 8. The robber got away with a small amount of money during the 8 p.m. wwcident, at the score in the 1200 block of Marine Drive, according to the North Vancouver RCMP. No one was injured. Police released a computer generated composite drawing of the suspect sketch of last = week. suspect. The robber was described as having a pony- tail to his mid back and a tattoo on his left hand that extended up to his jacket cuff. Anyone with information is asked to call Const. Paul Duffy at Composite .. .$85-1311. be drugged without injury and without endangering conserva- tion officers or the public; and suitable bear habitat is available (distant enough so that the bear is unlikely to return, yet close enough so that the move is practical). Many relocated bears find their new habitat occupied, and may be killed by the exist- ing bears or starve if food sup- plies are limited. Others are forced to return to human . food sources, where they may be destroyed as repeat offend- has besn told to reduce his inventory, so here’s some examples of his pancil-sharpening talent — CANON ES6009. Hi8. 40 x Digita20 x Optical Zoom. Optical image Ztaniliser, Eye Control. Was $7700. CANON £53000: His. 40 x Pista 20 x Optical Zoom. Optica! Image Stabilsrz was $7 CANON ES2500. Hi8. 22 x Cotical Zoom. Optical mage Stabilser. Titer. Was $900. ; . CANON ES7000. 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