Bear Sighting Information Bear Awareness The North Shore mountains are prime black bear habitat, and from spring until late fall many bears move down into urban neighbourhoods in search of food. While most of the bear activity is in the upper portions of the Districts of North and West Vancouver, on occasion some bears do move down into the City of North Vancouver through our forested ravines. The City of North Vancouver is a member of the North Shore Black Bear Network (NSBBN), which is a partnership of the three North Shore municipalities, other communities in the Lower Mainland, Bear Aware, the North Shore Black Bear Society (a non-profit Society of North Shore volunteers) and the Conservation Officers Service. The Network provides an opportunity for sharing ideas about how to prevent and reduce human-bear encounters in our communities. Bears in your Neighbourhood Managing Bear Attractants Bears have a keen sense of smell and are easily attracted to improperly managed garbage. To you, garbage stinks but to a bear it means dinner! Garbage is the number one bear attractant to residential areas. If you manage or remove the bear attractants on your property you will greatly reduce the chance of attracting bears. Simple, but effective steps to help reduce interactions with bears: Store your garbage indoors or in a secure enclosure Freeze your smelly garbage (like chicken and fish) Place garbage cans at the curb only on the morning of your pick-up day Remove bird feeders between April and November Keep your garbage can and barbeque clean Feed pets indoors Pick fruit as it ripens Compost responsibly Residents are reminded that the City's Solid Waste Management Service Bylaw 6920, 1997 requires that all garbage be safely stored so it is not accessible by wildlife. Garbage cans should be brought to the curb only on the morning of your designated garbage pick-up day (before 7:30AM). A copy of the garbage collection schedule is available here. If you encounter a bear in your community: Stay calm Stand still - Do Not Run!  Speak calmly   Slowly back away Usually bears are just passing through looking for food, if the bear finds no food source it will move on. Keep away and give the bear lots of space. If possible take your pets and children indoors. If you see a bear in your neighbourhood, report the sighting to the North Shore Bear Hotline: 604-990-BEAR (2327). If the bear is threatening, persistent or aggressive call a Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277 or the RCMP at 911.