A four-year-old bear was shot and killed by a Conservation Officer in West Vancouver on Tuesday after he broke in to a garage and started eating out of a freezer.
Police say they were called to the 200-block of Onslow Place in the British Properties because two bears had broken through the side door to the garage, pried open a chest freezer and begun eating.
The officers used air horns on their police vehicles to frighten the bears back into the woods. They then called the BC Conservation Officer Service and an officer arrived and attempted to trap the bears for relocation.
Meanwhile the homeowner arranged for workers to come and install a temporary cover for the damaged doorway. While they were there and the Conservation Officer was preparing a trap, one of the bears returned. He approached the area where the workers were installing the door and police said this raised immediate concern for their safety.
The bear was shot and killed.
West Vancouver Police, the Conservation Officer Service and the North Shore Black Bear Society are urging all residents to ensure their properties are free of attractants to bears.
Storing food in garages or outbuildings should be avoided if odours from the food can escape the enclosure and if doors to any enclosure are not strong enough to be bear resistant.
Police are also warning residents that bears naturally become more active every year at this time.
Helping keep bears from perceiving your home or property as a food source is vitally important for safety of the public and the bears.
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