Victoria wants to make people aware of a conflict's bear facts
Making garbage available to bears causes problems.

Canadian Press
Published: Thursday, July 06, 2006

The provincial government is providing $90,500 to promote bear awareness and reduce bear-human conflicts, Environment Minister Barry Penner has announced.

The funding will help communities participate in the provincial Bear Smart program, which encourages businesses and individuals to work together to address the causes of bear-human conflicts.

"Most of the problems we see with bears stem from a lack of education and lack of awareness," Penner said.

On average, 665 black bears and 45 grizzlies are destroyed each year because of conflicts with humans.

The trouble often starts when people make garbage, pet food, unpicked fruit trees, bird feeders and other food sources accessible to bears.

Bear awareness is especially important in the spring and fall.

In the spring, the animals emerge from hibernation and seek out food to replace weight lost during the winter while in the fall, bears fatten up before they hibernate.