Sad ending for a sow and two yearling bears in Port Moody
The City of Port Moody was deeply saddened to learn that three bears were put down by Ministry of Environment conservation officers in the Heritage Mountain neighbourhood early Thursday morning. Port Moody Police called the conservation officers when the bears were discovered going through garbage inside an open garage. The bear family had been a source of previous complaints, and attempts to relocate them had not been successful in the past.
“This is just so unfortunate,” says Mayor Mike Clay. “Our beautiful natural environment is one of the things that makes Port Moody such a wonderful place to live; but it also means we need to be vigilant in managing our garbage so bears don’t use it as a food source.”
Managing access to garbage and other attractants such as organics, bird feeders, barbeque grills, fruit trees, and pet food is the most important action we can take to keep both people and bears safe:
- Store garbage and organics carts securely and stored indoors whenever possible.
- Ensure that garbage and green waste bins remain securely closed with bear clips locked.
- Ensure that residential carts are only placed at your pick-up spot between 5:30 am and 7:30 am on your pick-up day and put away as soon as possible.
- Freeze odorous food scraps until collection day.
- Rinse carts regularly to eliminate odours.
- Rinse all recycling material before placing in your recycling collection cart to reduce odours.
- If you have a backyard compost, maintain an odourless pile, turn regularly, and keep covered.
The City of Port Moody has a comprehensive Bear Essentials education program and helpful information on how to coexist with bears is available on the website . More than 130 people attended an annual Bear Essentials Workshop at Port Moody City Hall on Wednesday night.