HINTON – Alberta Fish and Wildlife is working to capture problem bears that have been spotted in Hinton over the past few weeks.
Simon Sharp, a field officer with Fish and Wildlife, reported there had been multiple sightings of black bears looking for easy food before the winter.
“We received multiple complaints about it, so we started to put traps out,” Sharp said. “They’ve been getting into people's garbage, unfortunately, so garbage and bird feeders have been the main ones that these bears have been targeting.”
Fish and Wildlife don’t know how many bears are coming into Hinton, but they have been spotted throughout town.
Sharp explained they had a matrix of what should happen to a problem bear once captured, with the options ranging from relocation to destruction in serious cases. He added that bear encounters should be expected given how Hinton was a mountain community.
“We're surrounded by beautiful bear habitat, basically, and it's a great sign that our bear populations have been increasing,” he said. “But now with the increased population, we're just going to interact with them more and more often.”
Sharp advised Hinton residents to give the bears no reason to come into town. This includes not leaving out birdfeeders, only putting garbage out on the curb an hour or two before the garbage truck comes and cleaning barbecues and putting them in the garage if possible.
He also hoped Hinton would invest in more bear-proof garbage cans like those in Canmore.
“Hopefully, over time, we can get the Hinton community more bear smart,” he said. “Garbage cans is one thing I hope we can get done here in town, just to help stop that interaction between bears and people.”
Bear sightings should be reported to Report A Poacher at 1-800-642-3800 or through its online form.
