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VIDEO: B.C. man reminds others to lock up garbage after bear gets curious

A Vancouver Island man captures video of garbage-raiding bear on his driveway

Here’s a reminder: lock up your trash.

That’s the message a Vancouver Island man is hoping to spread after an encounter with a bear cub on his property this week.

In a video posted to social media, Sooke resident Jordan Cote watches through his window as the cub knocks over his garbage outside near his driveway.

WATCH: B.C. man’s polite encounter with bears praised for being ‘so Canadian’

Cote can be seen on the video banging on the window, scaring off the cub, but not until it comes back again, tempted by the alluring smells in the tipped-over trash can.

“One of the cubs came back for a visit. Here’s a reminder everyone, lock up trash,” Cote wrote in the description of the video.

This isn’t the first time the Sooke man has caught an encounter with bears on camera. Last year, in what was deemed by many to be “so Canadian,” Cote politely asked a mother bear and her cubs to leave his property – and they did.

Bear encounters in B.C. are especially common in August and September, but can occur anytime between May and October. They can be active all year in mild areas like Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

Ways to prevent bears from becoming comfortable loitering on a property include purchasing garbage bins with bear-resistant locks and keeping garbage in a secured shed or garage until pick-up day, the Ministry of Environment recommends.

When one does encounter a bear in a residential area the ministry urges people to remain calm and keep away from the bear.

If the bear appears to be threatening, persistent or aggressive, call B.C. Conservation Officer Service or the police.

Do not attempt to resolve the conflict yourself.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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