The Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance appealed to the District of Sechelt at its July 12 committee meeting in hopes of improving bear awareness in the community.
Recently, the Town of Gibsons implemented new signs asking dog owners to have their dogs under control at all times.The group asked Sechelt council to consider implementing signs with similar wording at some municipal trails where bear activity is common.
Diane Henley, spokesperson for the bear alliance said, "Our mission is to limit negative human-bear encounters on the Coast by fostering a pragmatic understanding of our bears,”
There are seven new bear families on the Sunshine Coast this year and at least one is a frequent visitor of Sechelt, said Henley.
The purpose of the sign is not to limit off-leash walking but to remind owners that they may encounter wildlife in these trails, and to be prepared to act when it happens.
Dogs are one of the leading causes of negative bear encounters, putting both dogs and their owners at higher risk when traversing through bear country, said Henley.
Black bears may be timid but they are no pushovers, oftentimes a dog will start to chase a startled bear which turns around and chases the dog back to its owner, said Henley. This significantly increases the risk of injury to the dog as well as the owner, and creates a negative environment for local bears.
Irina Wirth, founder of the Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance, said they have encountered a number of residents who will let their dogs chase wildlife on trails. She said that one dog walker went so far as saying their canine enjoyed chasing bears.
Coun. Darren Inkster responded in favor of exploring the new signs, highlighting that he supports signs that suggest and encourage awareness rather than tell trail users what they must do.
Coun. Donna Bell also spoke in support and highlighted that ultimately it is the responsibility of dog owners to manage their pets.
Mayor John Henderson said that the next step will be for the bear alliance to come back in a council meeting, where staff can be directed to more specific action.
The Sunshine Coast Bear Alliance already has several of their own signs in place along the Coast which highlight different aspects of awareness such as popular bear crossing spots.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
