Wildfire smoke may still be thick in the air, but fall is coming and with that, a change in wildlife behaviour.

WildSafeBC Central Okanagan coordinator Meg Bjordal said as summer turns into autumn, bears enter a new phase called hyperphagia, a period of intense eating.

Bjordal said bears eat as much as 20,000 calories a day to put on fat in preparation for winter hibernation. But with the drought conditions, natural food sources for bears are also drying up, so they鈥檙e coming into communities earlier this year to feed.

鈥淲hat can happen, and what we鈥檙e already starting to see a little bit earlier this year because of the drought conditions, as natural food availability at higher elevations starts to dwindle, bears will move down into the valleys where there is usually greenery still available,鈥� she said.

鈥淥f course in the valleys, that鈥檚 where our communities are. So what can happen is we can end up with more bears in our communities in the fall that are just looking for food.鈥�

When this happens, bears get into people鈥檚 garbage but they are also attracted by fruit trees, bird feeders and compost bins.

鈥淲hen bears have access to these unnatural food sources, it can lead to conflict situations that aren鈥檛 safe for the bears or for the people,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for every resident to take responsibility for managing attractants on their property.鈥�

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Managing attractants includes not taking out garbage bins until the morning of collection and securing bins indoors, cleaning out bird feeders, picking up fruit that has fallen to the ground, and picking fruits from your trees as soon as they ripen.

Bjordal said freezing garbage can also help manage its scent, especially if you鈥檙e keeping it indoors.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that residents take these steps seriously because it helps keep the bears and the people safe.鈥�

With wildfires raging in the Interior, she added that more wildlife may be visible to us in the area as they flee from the fires. And as evacuation alerts and orders are issued, Bjordal said it鈥檚 important to put garbage away, especially if residents have enough time to do so before leaving their property. This way, she said, wildlife don鈥檛 feed somewhere while there are fires around them.

Should you see an injured animal in your community or just to report a sighting, you can call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.

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twila.amato@blackpress.ca
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