Photo: pixabay

Bear-human conflict calls are about average for this time of year, according to the BC Conservation Officer Service.

South Okanagan conservation officer David Cox estimates their local RAPP line has received about 50 bear complaints so far this fall following a slow summer.

The majority of the calls, he said, have to do with bears being attracted to things like garbage.

“I’d like to think that most people want to buy into keeping our wildlife safe and bears safe, but unfortunately there are still quite a few people that have that mentality ‘I’ve lived here for so many years and have never had a bear come around my property,’ but it's not an excuse, we need to all collectively buy into it,” Cox said.

In the autumn, bears enter a state of hyperphagia that sees them seek out as many calories as possible prior to hibernation. Cox said they are typically active in the South Okanagan until about the middle of November, when call volume starts slowing down.

“It doesn’t take many people to cause a food conditioning, even if you have a few that haven't bought in on a neighbourhood street, you need everyone to do it,” he said.

Cox said calls for bear-human conflicts are typically higher in Peachland and Summerland, and tapers off as you travel south, where wildlife conflicts with agriculture are more frequent.