Vacation homeowners in Elkford, B.C., have been asked to search for white bear fur that may have caught on their decks or trees, to help scientists discover the genetic secrets of three white bear cubs seen in the town this fall.
Residents are also being urged to clear their garbage and fruit trees to stop the rare bears becoming hooked on human food sources.
The three cubs from two different mothers have attracted a lot of attention since they began showing up across the community in late September.
One black mother has been seen with two white cubs and a black cub, while another black bear has one white cub, one cinnamon cub and one black cub.
“White bears in this area are quite rare and scientists don’t really know exactly what causes their unusual colour,” says Jutta Kolhi of Elk Valley Bear Aware.
“They don’t know if they are related to the Spirit or Kermode bears on the B.C. coast, which are a white sub-species of the black bear that makes up 10 per cent of the bear population.
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“We also want to compare these cubs’ DNA to the hair samples that were taken from another white bear in Elkford in 2008, to see if they are related,” she says.
“It is definitely unusual to have three cubs in this area, and that is why we want to get hair samples tested to find out their genetic history.”
Elkford resident Kristy Anonson and her family were eating dinner Sept. 28 when her seven-year-old son pointed out two white cubs and one black cub on the deck.
She took photos as they climbed the deck railing, swung on the clothesline and even tried to push open the back door to get at the food.
Since then, she has regularly seen them emerging from a nearby trail and running from yard to yard in search of food.
“We are used to seeing bears, but not the white ones,” Anonson says.
“The cubs look cute and cuddly and they use our deck like a playground, but they are dangerous. I can’t let my kids play outside unsupervised now.”
The last white bear reported in the B.C. interior was also in Elkford in 2008, and was captured and relocated after becoming unafraid of humans in its quest to access garbage and other food sources.
It has not been seen since then, and black bears are known to find it difficult to adapt to relocation. It is illegal to hunt white bears in B.C.
Kolhi says Elkford’s priority must be to prevent these cubs following the same path.
“It is a big worry – they have been seen in garbage, and the most important thing is to try to prevent these bears from being habituated on human food sources, because it is not looking good for them at the moment,” she said.
“Hopefully people will make sure there are no attractants left around their house – as long as these attractants are there, it is not surprising that the bears come into town.”
Report white bear fur samples to Jutta Kolhi, Bear Aware Community Coordinator, at 250-910-0959 or e-mail elkvalley@bearaware.bc.ca
Rebecca Edwards is a Ferniebased journalist, and runs the Elk Valley Bear Aware website: elkvalleybearaware.wordpress.com
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