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Kamloops  

Kamloops residents urged to be bear safe in backcountry and in the city

Be smart around bears

Not unlike people, bears are also more active in the summer months — and that’s prompted WildSafe BC to step up its bear safety education programs this year.

The foundation has hired a new Kamloops community coordinator with hopes to protect wildlife by informing the public.

Mackenzie Irwin, WildSafe BC Kamloops coordinator, said once an animal is considered a threat to the public, it needs to be put down — but by helping residents to be safer and smarter around wildlife, Irwin hopes to limit the number of animals labeled a risk.

“So hopefully we can avoid bears becoming problem animals and then they don't have to be destroyed,” Irwin said.

Irvin said there are a lot of myths about bear bells for dogs, but often a bear bell doesn’t work to keep wildlife away. She said bears don’t associate the sound of a bell with humans, and bells are so high pitched the sound doesn’t travel very far in a wooded area.

The educator said clapping, singing and making noise, as well as taking care when getting rid of garbage, are all more effective ways to keep bears away.

WildSafe BC offers many free online courses on bear safety, including how to use bear spray. But, according to Irwin, it’s more beneficial to teach residents what to look for in a bear’s body language.

“We teach a lot about bear behaviour. So there's different types of bear behaviour, there's predatory behaviour and defensive behaviour. So a lot of our training focuses on that. So in specific scenarios, you'll know how to react,” Irwin said.

“Because a lot of people don't have that thorough of an understanding of wildlife biology. So by educating them, they can better understand animal behaviour and why they do what they do so that we can reduce conflict, so wildlife can stay wild and communities can stay safe.”



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