Langley residents are being reminded to take care with their trash after a black bear was sighted in the community of Walnut Grove.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) said officials have received multiple calls about the bruin, but that the animal hasn’t been spotted doing anything aggressive.
“From the reports that we’re getting, the bear is eating fruit off the trees as well as any compost that it’s finding,” said conservation officer Alicia Stark.
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Stark said the COS is asking people not to put their garbage out early, and to tidy up anything that might attract the animal to their property.
She said keeping the bear away from human food and trash doesn’t just protect people, it protects the bear too.
“He seems quite wild and still natural so we’re not wanting him to get to that habituated state,” she said.
“So if people remove that, we’re hoping he will move on and find somewhere else to go.”
The COS frequently relocates bears that are found in urban areas, but once the animals become habituated to humans, they are usually shot.
Caution signs have been posted on mailboxes and on some trails in the area.
Anyone who does spot the bear is asked to call the B.C. Conservation Officer Service RAPP Line at 1-877-952-7277, so the animal can be monitored.