Recent reports of bear sightings in the Greenbelt and Columbia Park on the Stoke List are useful but are people reporting their sightings to the Bear Aware Coordinator and the Conservation Officer Service?
That’s who really needs to find out about sightings as they occur because then they can update the Bear Sightings Map on the Revelstoke Bear Aware Website.
Here are some ways you can report your bear sighting:
Conservation Officer Service: 1-877-952-7277
To contact the Conservation Officer Service, you must go through the PEP (Provincial Emergency Protection) centre in Victoria. They will relay the message to our local Conservation Officer. Reporting a sighting does not mean someone will show up to kill the bear.
Revelstoke Bear Aware: 250-837-8624 or beaware@telus.net
Revelstoke Bear Aware keeps track of bears sightings and associated bear attractants. By reporting bear sighting you will add to our knowledge base which allows us to direct our public education initiatives.
Information to Report:
When you call Revelstoke Bear Aware and the Conservation Officer Service to report a bear sighting, you need to be prepared to provide specific information.
1. Indicate where you live, why you are calling, your name and telephone number.
2. You will be asked what type of bear you have seen, the location of the bear, and the time of the sighting. If the bear is in your yard at the time of the call, they will instruct you on what to do.
3. In most cases, the PEP centre or the Bear Aware Coordinator will pass the information on to the local conservation officer. He or she may contact you to ask more detailed questions. It is a good idea to write down the information while it is fresh in your mind.
- What kind of bear was it? How large was it? Did it have any distinguishing markings (such as a white patch, scars, a notched ear, etc.)?
- Were there any cubs?
- What was the bear doing? Was it walking, running, eating, sleeping? Did it make noise? Did it leave any signs (scat, tracks, claw marks, etc.)?
- Was there anything out of the ordinary about its behaviour? For example, was it limping? Did it act aggressively? If a bear does not seem to be afraid of humans, loud noises, or is eating garbage, it is exhibiting abnormal behaviour.
- How long was the bear in the area? What caused the bear to leave?
- Have you seen this bear before? Have your neighbours seen it? If so, how often?
