West Vancouver Police are issuing another warning to people about leaving food around for hungry bears.
A bear tore apart a Lexus on Sunday morning, trying to get at some food left inside. The damage is estimated to be $10,000.
Police were called to the 700-block of Westcot Place after a resident discovered the extensive damage. Bear fur and claw marks can be seen throughout the vehicle.
https://twitter.com/WestVanPolice/status/744912598978670592/photo/1
West Vancouver Police, West Vancouver Bylaw Services, the BC Conservation Officer Service and North Shore Black Bear Society urge everyone to learn and practise bear safety basics.
WATCH: Luxury car trashed by wildlife
Police say failing to follow bear safety rules can quickly trigger changes in bear behaviour that can increase the risk they pose to humans and can inevitably lead to loss of the bear’s life.
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Police also want to remind people not to leave anything outside or in a vehicle that a bear could smell or might like to eat. Food items or even used food wrapping left in a vehicle or outside can draw bears.
Bears also have very strong memory. Once a location becomes identified to the bear as a food source they will return, the bear’s fear of human contact is reduced, and risks posed to humans by the bear increase.
Bear Safety Basics
- Place garbage at curb side no sooner than 5 a.m. 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. Metro Vancouver has a brochure available at www.metrovancouver.org
- Keep pet food inside.
- Keep refrigerators and freezers inside.
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