You killed a bear.
That’s the title of a post by local blogger Taryn Eyton who has some tough words for campers at Garibaldi Lake.
Eyton, who runs a blog dedicated to her love of the great outdoors, says trash and food left behind by careless campers over the BC Day long weekend attracted a young bear to the campground near the lake, prompting rangers to issue warnings about food storage and cleanliness.
“But you didn’t listen,” reads her blog post. “You kept making a mess. You kept leaving your garbage on the ground and in the shelter. You kept cooking in your campsite. You kept storing food in your tent and in your backpack. And the bear still couldn’t resist. It was hungry and alone. And it kept coming back.”
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The bear returned, but this time, it wasn’t scared of humans anymore.
Murray Smith with the BC Conservation Officer Service confirms to Daily Hive that crews are currently searching for the bear.
“From what I know to date, I don’t think the bear would be a good candidate for relocation,” he says. “The bear has been there for two weeks.”
Smith says the bear continued to come around even after bear bangers had been shot. The last time it came around, it bluff charged the park rangers.
“We can’t take the chance,” he says. “We have officers in the area presently and we’re trying to capture the bear. If it’s caught, I can’t say 100% that it would be euthanized, but based on everything that I know as inspector for the region, it would meet the criteria for destruction.”
Be bear aware
Keeping food in your tent is always a bad idea, according to Smith, as it’s a bear attractant. One Vancouverite found that out the hard way after a bear wandered dangerously close to his tent after smelling some smoothies he had with him. David Weale caught the whole thing on video and posted it to YouTube Tuesday afternoon.
There are a number of precautions campers can take when it comes to reducing bear attractants in their camping area, according to BC Parks:
- Carry bear spray with you at all times for personal safety
- Store food in air tight containers in your car or RV
- Store garbage with your food – don’t bury it or throw it into pit toilets
- Cook and eat well away from your tent
- Store toiletries with food, away from your tent
- Clean up immediately and thoroughly
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