It’s estimated there are up to 160,000 black bears in BC, and the conservation officer service is responding to more calls than ever of them wandering into people’s yards.
Sergeant Rory Smith says black bears can be dangerous, especially if it’s comfortable around people
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 If you happen to stumble across a black or grizzly bear when you’re out hiking or jogging, Smith says you should stay calm.
“Usually what you want to do is just try and back out of the area, don’t start running because that may precipitate an attack,” he says. “Try to back away, if the bear does come at you, I think the key piece there would be to try to get some sort of obstruction or an object in between you and the bear, try to get to safety and call for help.”
To keep bears and other wildlife out of your yard, Smith says you should always secure your garbage and keep it out of reach, because if they can rummage through it once, they’ll do it again.
To make a report to the Conservation Officer Service, dial 1-877-952-7277 or #7277 on Telus mobile.
(Photo credit: Earleen Hinton, AP)
