$575 fine for feeding bears

Photo: Tony Romeyn

Conservation officers in the Okanagan are reaching out to residents to explain why feeding bears is harmful.

Black bears hunt for and eat many kinds of wild berries, honey, nuts and plants.

According to conservation officer Ken Owens, 85 per cent of a bear’s diet is vegetation and the remaining 15 per cent is fish, bees, insects and other small animals.

“A bear enjoys the mouth-watering taste of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers with all the trimmings as much as humans do,” he said.

Once a black bear gets just one taste of human food, it wants more.

There are three big reasons why you should not feed a bear, the first one being a fed bear is a dangerous bear.

“After a bear receives food from a human, it loses its instinctive fear of people,” says Owens. “The desire for easy food overcomes its fear.”

This makes a bear bold and dangerous.

“Fed bears are aggressive and will kill and even eat human remains,” says Owens.

Secondly, a fed bear is a dead bear. When left alone, black bears pose very little threat to people.

“Sadly, out of ignorance or because some people purposefully ignore the restrictions put in place regarding the feeding of or attracting bears, some bears must be killed,” says Owens.

In British Columbia, feeding a bear is a $345 offence and leaving attractants is a $230 offence. The third big reason not to feed a bear is there are penalties for doing so.

Under the Wildlife Act, conservation officers could issue a Dangerous Wildlife Protection Order if food attractants pose a risk. Failing to abide by the terms of a Dangerous Wildlife Protection Order may result in a fine of $575 and further follow up.

Kelowna conservation officers and the West Kelowna Wildlife BC Coordinator will be conducting bear attractant audits and enforcing the Wildlife Act to educate the public in removing attractants.