A bear repeatedly approached people for food at White Pine Beach in Belcarra Provincial Park over the weekend, prompting Metro Vancouver to close the popular summer spot.
The bear has been spotted several times and is considered a “nuisance bear,” according to officials.
Karly McMullen with WildSafe BC says you can expect to see more and more black bears around the Lower Mainland as they hunt for food and get ready to prepare for hibernation this winter.
“So, they’ll be eating a lot more. They’ll spend a lot more time foraging, which might lead to more sightings. But it’s not uncommon to see black bears in our provincial parks anytime from when they come out of the den in the spring, until the fall, but we’ll start to see activity pick up as they start to forage.”
A nuisance bear was spotted at Belcarra Regional Park on White Pine Beach several times this morning. Metro Vancouver staff are working with the Conservation Officer to manage public safety. The beach is closed until Monday when the situation will be reassessed. pic.twitter.com/herHl6uj80
McMullen says a nuisance bear is considered one that is interacting with people.
“Sometimes we see people are leaving food behind, so the bear may have that easy access to food that they’ve never seen in nature and then they start to associate human beings with food. They might start to lose that natural fear they would have of human beings.”
She says people bringing food to parks is inevitable, but it’s important to plan ahead.
“Make sure you have a plan in place to pack everything up, to clean down table surfaces and BBQ’s you might have used. Just make sure everything is coming out with you because it might seem small in the moment, but leaving one or two things behind can grow into a huge problem.”
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For Belcarra, a ban on cooking is in effect across the entire park.
McMullen says if you see a bear, try to stay as calm as possible.
“A negative bear interaction is not common, if you just do a couple of right steps. Give the bear a lot of space, take a step back. Make sure if the bear is moving in one direction, stay out of their path and let them go on their way. If the bear starts to move towards you… pay attention to the signs the bear is showing you. If the bear is just curious, you’re going to want to make sure that you are there, make noise and the bear is likely going to run off. If the bear is aggressive, make sure you have bear spray and know how to use it.”
White Pine Beach was also temporarily closed in May after reports of a potentially aggressive bear in the area.
Metro Vancouver says while the beach is closed, the rest of the park remains open to the public.
—With files from Cecilia Hua
