4 bears euthanized after becoming ‘food-conditioned’ in southwest Calgary

Bears that were seen raiding unsecured garbage and compost bins in southwest Calgary have been euthanized, Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials confirmed Monday.

Wildlife officers had received calls about a black bear sow and three cubs throughout the Discovery Ridge neighbourhood, which neighbours Griffith Woods Park and the undeveloped Tsuut’ina Nation.

Calls in early October were just sightings, but as time went on, more reports were called in of the bears getting into garbage and compost bins.

On Oct. 22, officers closed some areas and set a pair of traps in the park. By Oct. 28, a black bear sow an three juvenile bears were captured and all area closures were lifted.

“The bears were heavily food-conditioned, and had been spotted getting into garbage for over four weeks,” a Fish and Wildlife statement said.

“Food-conditioned bears associate people with food, which poses a serious risk to public safety as the association of people with food can lead to people being hurt by hungry bears.”

The bears were euthanized after reviewing the black bear response guide.

“The Government of Alberta does not take this action lightly, but feels it is the best decision, to both prevent future conflict and public safety concerns while encouraging best practices that will allow people and bears to co-exist in the future. Several factors lead to the decision to euthanize a bear rather than taking other options, such as relocating it,” Fish and Wildlife said.

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Some residents in Discovery Ridge are upset the bears were indulging on a buffet from the bins in the neighbourhood. Nicola Jones said many in the neighborhood have been educated but still ignored the suggestions.

“There is a lot of negligence that ended in their euthanization,” Jones said.

Other concerned residents have written to their area councillor, asking the city to consider altering garbage and compost pickup times, or imposing heavy fines for those who are careless with their trash.

“I think it’s unfortunate we need government intervention to babysit and tell us what we need to do with our garbage. It’s disappointing,” Jones said. “We are grown adults and need to protect the environment and our neighborhood and I think it’s a good thing if they are going to enforce it.”

Discovery Ridge Community Association President Anil Tahiliani said they are meeting on Monday to consider forming a volunteer committee to come up with solutions.

“I don’t know if changing the bylaw is realistic. We have to figure out what the policies are for changing a bylaw that could affect the whole city. It’s hard to make a bylaw for one community,” Tahiliani said. “Enforcing it sounds easy, but is it feasible to have people patrolling for when people are putting the garbage bins out?”

Longtime resident Marcy Cochlan supports education and said she hopes this tragedy is a wake-up call to the community.

“They need to understand you shouldn’t put garbage out the night before and only bring it out at 7:00 a.m. the day the garbage comes and understand it is the death of those bears if they don’t do it,” Cochlan said.

Ward 6 Coun. Richard Pootmans said there are no immediate solutions and will be working with the community and Fish and Wildlife.

“Everything is on the table,” Pootmans said. “Our office is trying to discover what next steps will be. Can we customize bylaws for part of a neighborhood? The answer is no. it has to be city wide. The issue will have complexities as we learn more about bylaws and bears.”

Officials urge the importance of being “BearSmart” given that at this time of the year, bears are increasingly focused on eating more to prepare for hibernation.

With natural food sources like berries have either been eaten or dried up, bears will travel further to find food. Unsecured garbages or compost bins can end up being a risk to public safety.

Fish and Wildlife officers also advise pet food should not be left outside, bird feeders should not be used between April 1 and Nov. 30, barbecues and smokehouses should be cleared, and gardens or fruit-bearing trees should be properly maintained or removed.