On Oct. 12, a bear was spotted twice in Nanaimo's Uplands neighbourhood. Around 5:30 a.m. it was eating garbage on a path, but two hours later it was in Caitlin Bursey's backyard. (Caitlin Bursey/submitted photo)

By Ian Holmes

bear aware

Residents alarmed by prowling bear in Nanaimo’s Uplands neighbourhood

Oct 27, 2023 | 5:31 AM

NANAIMO — In three years of living in Nanaimo’s Uplands neighbourhood, Caitlin Bursey had never seen a bear.

That has changed dramatically with several sightings lately, which appears to be an animal gravitating toward human food sources.

Bursey said on the morning of Thursday, Oct 12 the bear was seen twice, first by her husband around 5:30 a.m.

“He said it was literally just laying down, munching, just lounging, fist full of garbage and food that it had collected onto the path that goes up into the park, there was trash everywhere.”

About two hours later, what appeared to be the same bear returned, this time on a rocky knoll behind their home.

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Their family dog was chased into the house by the much larger animal.

After multiple sightings, Bursey felt informing the BC Conservation Officer Service was the right thing to do.

“…because there’s little kids in the area and Uplands (Park) Elementary School is not far from the other side of Sunrise Ridge Park.”

The former resident of Coquitlam said with bears abundant in that community, bear-proof clips were attached to organic green waste bins.

“We don’t have that here, so it’s a little bit trickier,” Bursey said.

It appears a bear has been very visible in the area this week.

A social media report stated a large black bear charged toward a person and their dog in their Ross Rd. yard near Long Lake on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

“Called the COs (BC Conservation Officer Service) and they have already received several reports this morning. My dog chased it up towards Uplands Road,” the post read.

In a statement to NanaimoNewsNOW, the BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) stated it’s aware of bear activity in Nanaimo’s Uplands area.

The COS urges the public to secure their attractants, such as garbage, pet food and birdseed to help prevent bears from lingering and creating conflicts.

“Bears are in their hyperphagia (extreme urge to eat food) phase in preparation for winter denning. To keep them out of communities, it is crucial to secure all attractants. Securing garbage and other attractants is the best way to help keep the public and bears safe,” the BCCOS statement noted.

The BCCOS recommends leashing pets, travelling in groups, and carrying bear spray to help mitigate potential dangers associated with wildlife encounters.

Applicable resources on safety and conflict reduction tips can be found at WildSafeBC.

Bear and other wildlife/human conflicts can be reported to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

While some black bears opt for winter hibernation on Vancouver Island, the animals are visible year-round.

This past spring several bears attracted to human food sources kept conservation officers busy in south Nanaimo.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes