Coquitlam bears are having a rough year – and most of it comes back to the same issue: attractants. Whether it’s people intentionally feeding bears (or other wildlife), letting bird feeders overflow, or simply not securing garbage properly, conflict arises, and, sadly, the government response is often to kill.
But the City of Coquitlam wants to do better, and is taking steps to reduce conflict. They’ve asked The Fur-Bearers to help, and our supporters are responding with vigor. Here’s three ways you can help the wildlife in your community, as well as the bears in Coquitlam (even if you don’t live in the area):
- Taking action personally. Cleaning up your own yard to make it free of attractants, making sure pets are always supervised, and teaching your family how to properly respond to wildlife sightings is just as important as asking others to do so. It’s always a great conversation starter to get talking to your community.
- Talking to the community. In Coquitlam, just like many other areas making compassionate choices, it’s a combination of city representatives and local residents who want to see change – and it works! Presentations from groups like The Fur-Bearers, or simply providing information like our Living With Wildlife literature is a huge step in helping save the lives of animals from conflict situations that we create.
- Get connected with us. This weekend a team of more than a dozen volunteers are going door-to-door in targeted neighbourhoods to put up our “door hanger” bear brochures that will help residents understand how they can prevent conflict, and what to do if they see a bear (or have other concerns). We were able to mobilize them so quickly because they’re on our eNewsletter list and we can shoot out a blast to people in the area who may be able to help. You can register to get on our list for the weekly eNewsletter, campaign updates, and volunteer needs by clicking here. Don’t forget to sign up to receive notifications about new episodes of the awesome Defender Radio: The Podcast for Wildlife Advocates and Animal Lovers!
Coquitlam is a great example of a community that wants to be part of the solution – and we’re extremely proud that our volunteers are ready to go out and help them.
monthly donor(for as little as $10/month – the cost of two lattes) pleaseclick hereand help us save lives today.
