Springbank Hill has its fair share of wildlife visitors – coyotes, deer, moose, bobcats. But did you know that also includes bears? Due to our location, we are a community that has had bear visitors in the past, along with other west Calgary communities including Discovery Ridge, Woodbine, and Cedarbrae.
The Bear Smart best practices are a set of guidelines to help communities that have been designated “wildlife affected areas” under Alberta Fish and Wildlife and the City of Calgary. This helps residents to stay safe and discourage animal visitors to neighbourhood homes. Although Springbank Hill has not yet been designated a wildlife affected area, we can still use these best practices to reduce the risk of attracting more wildlife into our residential area. Here are some tips off the City’s website on how to help.
Don’t Invite Bears Over for a Midnight Snack
Bears and other wildlife will come into our communities searching for easy sources of food. Residential collection carts, fruit trees, bird feeders, and other human related food sources are strong attractants. Once a bear receives a food reward it can lose its natural wariness for humans. Food conditioned bears can pose a serious risk in communities and may need to be trapped and relocated or even euthanized.
What You Can Do
Set your carts out no earlier than 5:00 am the day of cart collection and remove your carts no later than 7:00 pm the same day. If this schedule isn’t easy, chat with neighbours to see if they can help. One of the biggest attractants for bears are easily accessible garbage and compost bins that are out at night. Cleaning your carts periodically to reduce odours can also be helpful. Lastly, the city recommends storing carts in a garage or other secure enclosure that wildlife cannot enter.
For more information on Bear Smart practices and communities, check out https://www.calgary.ca/waste/residential/be-bear-smart.html.
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