Bear behaviour is being disrupted by changes in spring and summer weather conditions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an odd year as far as the weather goes,鈥� said Sam Webb, program coordinator for Wild Wise, a Vancouver Island-based volunteer organization that teaches people how to co-exist with wildlife through education.

鈥淲eather definitely impacts bears鈥� behaviour because it affects their food.鈥�

Since this spring was unseasonably cold, fewer plants were available. The salmon spawning season was delayed due to drought, so bears had to find food elsewhere, such as in unsecured garbage containers.

The reduction in rainfall affected more than plants and berries, Webb said.

鈥淪ince the rain wasn鈥檛 as heavy this year and the Sooke River鈥檚 not as high, it means people are getting closer to bears that are fishing,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 dangerous for people walking their dogs and disturbing the bears trying to eat.鈥�

Wild Wise volunteers have been going to popular outdoor hotspots every weekend to pass out information on the need to respect wildlife.

鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 understand that bears don鈥檛 hibernate because the weather鈥檚 cold. They hibernate due to a lack of food,鈥� Webb said.

鈥淯nfortunately, the period we鈥檙e in right now, hyperphagia, is when bears have an extreme drive to consume as much food as possible. That鈥檚 why securing garbage is extremely important, especially at this time of the year, so bears will go into hibernation when their natural food sources dry up.鈥�

For more information on how to co-exist peacefully with wildlife, please visit .

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editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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