Yukoners asked to do more to prevent human-bear conflicts

The Yukon conservation service says there were fewer human-bear conflicts this year than last year, but the numbers need to be even lower.

Conservation officer Dave Bakica says there were 134 human-bear conflicts in Yukon this year, down from 165 last year.

Thirty bears died as a result ofthose conflicts, down from 33 in 2019.

Bakica said conservation officers destroyed 21bears while civilians killed nine "in defence of life and property."

Of the 30 killed bears, Bakica says 21 were black bears and nine were grizzlies.

"It's important to remember that following a human conflict, killing the bear is our last resort," said Bakica.

Failing to manage bear attractants

Most of the incidents were related to people failing to manage bear attractants, he said.

Unsecured garbage and compost were the most common bear attractants, Bakica said, with others including bird feeders, recycling that hasn't been cleaned, berry bushes, pet food and hanging meat during hunting season.

Bakica also suggested that electric fencing be used to protect chicken coops, large berry gardens, bee apiaries and storage areas for livestock feed and dog team food.

Tracking bears

The environment department began an approximately five-year program this year to collar and monitor some of the bears that are translocated from settled areas, Bakica said.

Translocated bearsare relocated outside their home range or established territory, 75 to 100 kilometres in a straight line from the settled area into a wilderness area.

Bakica said 12 bears were translocatedthis year, six of then with tracking collars.

Bakica said bears have been translocated in Yukon for more than 40 years, but nobody has monitored what happens to them.

"We're missing a large part of the picture with bears we simply don't hear from again after being translocated.The addition of the collars will fill some of this considerable gap in the information," he said.

One of the six collared bears did return, got into some attractants and had to be killed, Bakica said.