The Conservation Officer service has been flooded with Black Bear sighting reports this year.
Eamon Mcarthur, Acting Sergeant of the Omineca Region Conservation Office says the number of reported bear sightings has increased substantially in the Prince George area over the last two years.
In all of 2018 for the Prince George area, there were 1,100 reports, in 2019 there were 902, a number the skyrocketed the following year to 1,597 in 2020 and so far for this year, there have been 1,485 calls.
In September 2018 the CO’s received 341 calls in the Prince George region, in 2019 there were 291 calls while the following September there were 537 calls and 667 this past month.
Mcarthur says an increase in Black Bear sightings is typical for this time of year.
“It’s normally expected, just comparing from last year in July we got 198 calls up to the 537 (in September), and this year we had 105 in July up to 667 so it’s a normal transition because of the bear activity,” he stated.
Typically around this time of year bears are working overtime on eating enough to prepare for their winter hibernation which Mcarthur says could come earlier than usual due to the cool weather we’ve been experiencing in the PG area.
Throughout the PG region, the most popular area for Black Bear sightings varies from year to year, however, Mcarthur says one spot, in particular, has been a hotspot over the last few months.
“This year, it’s down by the slough down by the Peterson/Abbott area and in the Ferry area that whole section of town between the hill on Highway 97/16 and the river. That’s been a fairly big area but it kind of varies on the year,” he added.
In the past, the West Lake and Hart area has been a popular spot for bear sighting reports due to the greenbelt available for bears to hide out in.
Mcarthur says it’s important to call the RAPP line whenever a bear is acting aggressively or posing a potential threat to public safety or property, however not all bear sightings require a call to the 24/7 line.
“If it’s a rural property and a bear is walking through your property that’s more of a normal situation. If you’re seeing a bear every day and you’re living on 4th Avenue downtown year you might want to report that one because it’s more likely that someone’s going to cross paths with this bear,” he explained.
He reminds residents to remove all apples and fruit that have fallen on the ground and to properly secure garbage as both can be attractants.
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