Residents on Coquitlam's Burke Mountain fed a hurt bear. Now, it's ...

An injured bear that was fed for days by residents on Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain is now dead.

Coquitlam RCMP said Mounties and BC Conservation Service officers were called to Kingston Street and Galloway Avenue on Wednesday, Aug. 14, after neighbours gathered around the hurt animal.

Residents had given watermelon and other food to the bruin since Sunday, Aug. 11, police said.

But because of its history in the area, including entering garages to hunt for meals, the bear was deemed a public safety risk and, as it couldn’t be relocated or rehabilitated, the bear was destroyed.

“Feeding bears is a dangerous activity that puts public safety at risk. We ask the public to never feed or approach bears and take steps to help prevent bear conflicts,” said Danielle Bell of BC Conservation Officer Service, in the RCMP media release. 

“Don’t give bears an opportunity to access garbage and other non-natural food, and help keep the community — and the bears — safe.”

The detachment noted that, as of June 2024, anyone caught feeding wildlife could face a fine up to $575.

In the latest case, no penalties were issued as the residents feeding the bear couldn’t be identified.

The bears are out

Caresse Selk, Coquitlam’s environment manager, told the Tri-City News today, Aug. 16, that bears are currently active with more sightings on Burke Mountain and in the Eagle Ridge neighbourhood.

City staff are now upping patrols around Coquitlam to fan out education and conduct enforcement “with tickets being issued for unsecured attractants and garbage/green carts set out the night before collection,” Selk said while offering the following tips to Coquitlam homeowners and tenants:

secure garage/green waste inside a garage or shed place carts and bins out for collection after 5:30 a.m. on collection day — not the night before pick ripe fruit and clean any dropped fruit from the ground daily never feed wildlife

And for parks users and picnic-goers, don’t leave food unattended and pack out what you pack in.

In Port Coquitlam, staff report the city has had 227 calls for service since Jan. 1, 2024, about:

unsecured collection carts leaving carts out on streets before pickup times and dates no preventative measures for wildlife attractants on properties

As a result, the city has issued 48 infraction tickets to those flouting the bylaws.

For more information about bear safety and garbage regulations, you can visit Coquitlam’s and Port Coquitlam’s websites.

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