....& ROAMING WILD
They are in our yards, playgrounds, trees and even city streets. Are black bears more peckish and curious this season, heading down the hills with more esteem? Or are we just quicker to catch ‘em with our smartphones?
Residents are used to it at this point — in cul-de-sacs, marching about like they own the joint. Wandering about pathways, meandering through neighbourhoods. Tri-City residents are getting savvy too. We know not to leave the compost bin to air out in our gardens for more than five minutes, because chances are quite probable we will entice a furry visitor. Black bears' sense of smell is seven times more than that of a bloodhound and yes, can detect what’s on your BBQ from several kilometres away.
It’s easy and expected math: each year we have more wildlife in our growing suburban centres. BC Conservation Office official season stats will be shared late September, but if it’s at all trending as previous years, we can expect higher official sightings, garbage cart incidents, and maybe most notably, officers called out.
Perhaps our compost bins need an upgrade. Rumour has it some mama bears are actively giving lessons to cubs providing mad skills on how to break in with paws.
It’s not just quiet streets either, our more active villages aren’t immune. Furry families were spotted this summer playing in Newport trees and grabbing snacks from bushes. Bear-aware signs are also up in less usual spots, like the entry to Dufferin Care Centre in Coquitlam that has a parking lot backing onto a stream.
Even before summer break, Mountain Meadows Elementary on Noons Creek in Port Moody blasted its bear horn more times, announcing either their field or playground had unregistered company, therefore bringing students securely indoors.
So, can our kiddos then still safely play in our yards without constant supervision? The tragedy just further east in Maple Ridge certainly raised eyebrows around aggression.
As the season winds down, and we’ve posted our finds, photos and videos on our socials, our beautiful bears are stocking up and getting ready for that long winter's nap. And conversely, they are likely dreaming of these annoying humans who made stocking up either more interesting or tricky. Perhaps they themselves sharing tall bear tales of their ridiculous neighbours as they use up fat stores for the winter.
If you have any WILDLIFE 2026 photos, share them HERE.
Loading comments…