WildSafeBC is the provincial leader in preventing conflict with wildlife through collaboration, education, and community solutions, and it is delivered by the BC Conservation Foundation in communities across BC. Mareike Moore is the new WildSafeBC Cariboo Coordinator and is excited to be delivering WildSafeBC’s program initiatives in new and innovative ways during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These programs include door-to-door information delivery campaigns, garbage tagging, and webinar delivery of the highly requested WildSafe Ranger Program for school-aged children and Wildlife Awareness and Safety Education sessions.
While the weather is getting better and people are spending more time outside, it is also fawning season for deer. It is important for pet owners to keep dogs on leash during this time as does may see pets as predators or threats to their newborns. If a dog comes too close, the doe may become aggressive and attack the dog. WildSafeBC would like to remind people that if they find a fawn, it should be left alone and that picking up any wildlife is illegal under the Wildlife Act and could result in a fine.
We frequently see bears in our communities. A habituated bear, one that has become food conditioned through foraging an area for human-provided foods, tolerates humans in much closer proximity than what is safe for both bears and humans. This increases the potential for dangerous interactions between bears and humans. Some simple solutions to help avoid these conflicts include storing garbage in a secure building until collection day, harvesting fruit trees early to let the fruit ripen inside, or picking fruit daily as it ripens.
Credit: Jitze Couperus
Please report wildlife in conflict to the Conservation Officer Service 24/7 at 1-877-952-7277. Residents can also report sightings of bear, cougar, coyote, or wolf in an urban area. These reports are uploaded daily to WildSafeBC’s Wildlife Alert Reporting Program (WARP), available at www.wildsafebc.com/warp. This program allows the public to see what wildlife has been reported in various neighbourhoods and to be alerted of new sightings.
For further information on wildlife and how to reduce human-wildlife conflict or more information on WildSafeBC’s free programs in the Cariboo, please email Mareike at cariboo@wildsafebc.com, follow its local Facebook page @WildSafeBCCariboo, or visit www.wildsafe.com.
WildSafeBC Cariboo is grateful for the generous support the program receives from its funders, including the Cariboo Regional District, the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, and the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
