Hi Everyone!
Sometimes people are hesitant to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line when they see a bear in their neighbourhood because they think this means someone will come and shoot the bear. This just isn't true! The RAPP line is a way to report known or suspected violations of fisheries, wildlife, or environmental protection laws, and wildlife-human interactions where public safety may be at risk.
If you call the RAPP line to report a bear sighting in your neighbourhood the agent you reach will ask for your name, address and phone number. The agent will ask you why the bear is there and help you to identify any bear attractants that may have caused the bear to come near your property. The agent will discuss attractant management with you and give you ideas on how to clean things up so the bear won't want to hang around. The information is also passed on to Bear Aware. If you or someone in your neighbourhood reports a bear you can expect a visit from your local Bear Aware staff. We are there to help you by providing information on bear behaviour and how to keep them away from your yard. The goal of cleaning your property and managing your attractants is to make sure there is no food available for the bear so that they move back to the hills and their natural food sources.
What can happen if you don't call and report the bear when you first see it? Well, there are a number of things and they depend on the situation. Say you have read some Bear Aware literature and clean up all the attractants in your yard. This is a good first step, but if all of your neighbours don't do the same you have just passed the problem on. If a bear is getting into food sources in lots of yards and starts to lose it's fear of humans, it is called a habituated bear and is in real trouble. In this case the Conservation Officers are notified to come in and deal with the situation. If it is a grizzly bear it will most likely be trapped and either relocated or chased away using aversive conditioning (making it dislike that place by making loud noises, chasing it with pepper spray or using rubber bullets. This is similar to saying "No" to your dog and pushing it away when it tries to get into your dinner). Unfortunately, if it is a black bear, it will probably be shot. This is where the saying "A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear" comes from.
If you have any questions about the RAPP line, managing attractants on your property or anything Bear Aware does, feel free to contact us or post your questions here!
RAPP 1-877-952-7277
www.bearaware.bc.ca
Have fun and stay safe!
From your Fernie and Elk Valley Bear Aware Team
