In the wake of a bear attack that left a man injured and the animal dead, B.C. conservationists are urging the public to leash their dogs to avoid wildlife conflicts.
The Conservation Officer Service released a report of a man with an off-leash dog who was on a trail near 240th Street in Maple Ridge, on Nov. 20, when a black bear engaged his pet.
According to the report, the man controlled his dog, and was attempting to leave the area, when the bear re-engaged. The man was injured fighting the bear, but a group of nearby anglers came to his assistance, and the bear was killed, reportedly with a knife.
The man received medical attention for injuries that were not life-threatening.
Ross Davies, the education coordinator for the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership (KEEPS), made an appeal for the public to leash their dogs, and for more enforcement.
"I'm really glad the dog walker and dog are OK, because that must have been terrifying," said Davies.
However, he said there were still about five people at Kanaka Creek Park with their dogs off leash on Monday morning, despite the bear attack.
Davies posted a stern message online: "I'm not going to beat around the bush here. The length of Kanaka Creek is on-leash. Period. No exceptions," wrote Davies. "I don't care, and don't want to hear about how well trained your dog is.
"One would have to be blind to miss all of the signage advising of such. And yet we see the same individuals, over and over again, who feel the rules don't apply to them," he continued. "Wednesday's incident, while tragic, comes as no surprise."
The location of the incident has not been confirmed, and it could have been at Kanaka Creek or on the Alouette River, which both intersect with 240th Street.
Davies is an avid wildlife photographer, and even names some of the bears who frequent the fish fence at Kanaka Creek and 240th, like a big male he calls Doofus.
"Certain bears, you see over and over, and you get to know their appearance and behaviours," he said.
Davies asked that the public help enforce the dog leash rules by report violators to Metro Vancouver Regional Parks at 604-530-4983 and City of Maple Ridge at 604-463-5221.
"Descriptions, licence numbers, etc. are all helpful," said Davies. "Perhaps if word gets out that people are watching, we can together reduce or eliminate these types of incidents."
He said anglers police one another, and because potential violators know another fisherman might report them, it has changed behaviour.
The Maple Ridge Black Bear Society also made a plea for people to leash their dogs, particularly along waterways where bears are fishing and travelling on trails, trying to bulk up for the winter, when they are less active.
"A black bear’s natural instinct is to avoid confrontation which is why they will typically run from a dog initially," the society posted online. "However, when they are defending food or they feel the threat is imminent, they can turn to defend and your dog will realize it has picked a fight it can’t win, turn tail and run back to you. If the bear gives chase, your dog is going to run back to your side which makes both you and the dog a potential threat."
The society runs a website, will harvest unused fruit to avoid attracting bears, and offers the public information about handling garbage and bear attractants.
Virtually all of the social media comments about the incident echoed the need for people to leash their dogs, particularly in areas frequented by bears.
Conservation officers investigated last week's incident, deemed it self defence, and took no enforcement action.
The bear's remains are being examined, to determined whether any factors may have caused its aggression.
