Farmers are asked to play a role in reducing bear and human encounters by cleaning up spilled grain in their yards, fencing off bee yards and not dragging dead animals into the bush.
The Alberta government has launched a Bear Smart program for agricultural producers to help reduce run-ins with bears, said fish and wildlife officer Russell Stashko of Whitecourt, Alta.
“The incidence with human and bear conflict has increased exponentially in the last five years, including in rural areas,” said Stashko.
Over a five-year period there have been about 2,500 bear-related occurrences. Since 1993, there were 27 significant conflicts with black or grizzly bears resulting in two human fatalities.
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“The occurrences with bears have been increasing so we wanted to increase our message,” said Stashko.
Bears need about 25,000 calories a day. They prefer natural vegetation, but will eat cereal crops, pelleted feed, silage, livestock and other mammals.
Spilled grain or an unclean yard is an invitation, said the Bear Smart brochure developed to help reduce animal conflicts with humans.
Cleaning up food that might attract bears is a better way to reduce encounters, rather than dealing with problem bears, said Stashko.
Wildlife officials can relocate problem bears, but prevention is preferable, he said.
Stashko said farmers should make sure calves that die during fall calving are rendered or dealt with properly.
If there is a history of bears entering calving yards, fruit orchards or honey yards, Stashko recommends using an electric fence as a deterrent.
