Police release photo after bear in West Vancouver destroys car
By Nelson Daily Staff
It’s never a good idea to leave garbage on the curbside overnight or, as this West Vancouver resident found out, inside a vehicle.
West Vancouver Police released photos via Twitter following a call Sunday morning after a resident discovered extensive damage to the family vehicle.
It appears a bear was drawn to the vehicle by a sizeable quantity of food being temporarily stored inside.
Bear fur and extensive claw marks were noted throughout the vehicle. Police said damage to is estimated at $10,000.
The City of Nelson website cautions residents that all garbage be safely stored so it is not accessible by wildlife.
Garbage and recycling should be stored indoors, in a sturdy shed or in a bear resistant garbage container.
Garbage cans should be brought to the curb only on the morning of your designated garbage pick-up day (by 7 a.m. but not before 5 a.m.).
The webite says bears have a very keen sense of smell, as was the case in West Vancouver, and are easily attracted to improperly managed garbage.
Bears that forage on easily accessible fruit are also drawn close to neighbourhoods and to other sources of food such as compost, bird feeders and barbeques.
Bears may break into sheds or homes to find what they can smell from a distance. Bears quickly become habituated to these foods and spend more time in the city near homes and businesses.
Habituated bears are perceived as a safety risk and are shot.
Bear Safety Tips:
- Place garbage at curb side no sooner than 5am on the morning of pickup.
- Store all garbage in your house, garage, shed or other secure enclosure.
- Regardless of where your store your garbage container, keep it clean and odour-free.
- Freeze smelly items, such as meat trays and the skin and bones of poultry and fish, until the morning of pickup.
- Keep diapers inside. There are products on the market that enable indoor storage.
- Remove all bird feeders, including hummingbird feeders, until the winter.
- Ensure that barbecues are kept odour-free. Turn them on high for 10 minutes when you are finished cooking and scrub off the food remnants. Remove any grease catchers and take indoors. (Do not store the propane tanks indoors.)
- Pick fruit from trees as soon as it is ripe, and remove any fruit that falls to the ground.
- Turn compost to reduce smells. Only add raw fruit and vegetables and yard trimmings, and keep a lid on the bin.
- Keep pet food inside.
- Keep refrigerators and freezers inside.
- City of Nelson Waste Management and Wildlife Attractant Bylaw 3198, 2011 requires garbage be safely stored.
