Thank you to all who are doing their part to keep Squamish bears wild.
This means that even though the Bear Aware Program will be entering it's hibernation period within the next few weeks, the momentum of education and attractant control that has been gained must continue on a 12-month basis.
As we make our way through all of that candy from the Halloween feeding frenzy, the local bears are making their way through as much food as they can in anticipation of hibernation. October through to November is the time of year when bears become eating machines as they are biologically programmed to consume as much food as possible.
An expanding waistline for a bear is a good thing they need to gain 30 to 40 per cent of their springtime body weight by the fall in order to survive hibernation.
Females with fertilized eggs from the June breeding season must gain sufficient body fat in order for the eggs to implant into the uterine wall. If she hasn't gained enough weight, the eggs will be reabsorbed and the pregnancy ends.
A hibernating bear can go as long as 200 days without eating, drinking or making a trip to the local outhouse. They are able to live off their fat reserves by reusing protein byproducts, so they lose fat and not muscle during hibernation.
Bears are also able to recycle calcium back into their bones thereby avoiding bone loss that can be associated with long periods of inactivity - talk about reusing and recycling.
Bears do not hibernate because it's cold, they hibernate because of a lack of natural food, so if we leave garbage or other non-natural food sources available, we may see a bear or two over the winter months.
Last week, after foraging in unlocked dumpsters nearby, a bear decided to spend the better part of the day in a tree on Cleveland Avenue. This healthy sub-adult male was approximately 200 pounds. He was tranquilized, given an ear tag and relocated back into the wild.
Keeping your garbage totes locked, rinsing out all recyclables, feeding pets indoors and hanging birdfeeders out of reach will go a long way in encouraging bears to snooze the winter away.
Please continue to keep your garbage secure at all times and only put your tote curbside on the day of collection. Give Critter Guard Lock Systems a call at 604-892-7579 to lock your tote against all wildlife. We are making progress in the movement towards being a Bear Smart community, and yes, there is still so much more to accomplish.
I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has made the effort to becoming more Bear Aware. You are making a difference and your commitment to keeping bears wild and our neighbourhoods' safe is commendable.
As a community, let's not put the issue of attractant control into hibernation over the winter, instead, lets be Bear Aware all year long.
