First off who is going to fine the City of PG for not picking their apples? They don't practice what they preach. Time for a bear harvest? Maybe sellig their bladders and paws once every 5 years to whomever wants them could be BC's next natural resource.

Amen, apple trees that the City planted go unharvested...No problem. Average joe doesn't harvest & gets a fine (rightfully so). Come on City of PG get your sh*t
together.

Fruit is 'non natural'??
They should have tranquilized and relocated this bear instead of shooting it.
There was no mention of the bear having been a menacae to people, other than it's mere presence. The bear is non coming into the subdivision to scare and threaten humans. it is foraging, looking for food.
It is true that people should get off their duffs, get outside and pick the fruit trees of their bounty, but I suspect that the odours presented by household garbage and outdoor grills are enough to attract a hungry bear too.
metalman.

Oh yes...let's blame the city for this too.
Give me a break!!!!

Opinionated, no one wrote anything about
blaming the City for the destruction of this bear. The problem is exactly what
Noseverance wrote, the City does not practise what it enforces. Guaging your reaction, I'm guessing you work for the City.

This was a totally senseless killing. This young bear had returned to the site, because the people had not picked up the fruit. Why the bear had to suffer is way beyond me. Surely the conservation officer could have made just one more trip with this young bear, taken it one more time back into the bush, rather than kill it.
This bear did not have to be killed, destroyed, put down, whatev ver you want to call it.

I'm sure that bear is holding a stapler in it's paw. Now let's wrap this up, I'm late for coffee.

We were told at the recyle area on 18th that we were not to dump our apples in recycle bin. I wonder where we were suposted to do with our apples.
Cheers

trueblue2: once a bear has been relocated and has returned, it has not learned its lesson and will always return. Then they become more aggressive. There is nothing inhumane about properly shooting an animal. It is quick and painless.

The people of Jasper lived with bears for years and I remember as a young child walking down the street and a bear walking up the street towards me. What you did was just walk across the road to the other side and let the bear keep on going. If you were backing groceries you paid a toll of one loaf of bread to the bear, at least that is what my aunt told me.

I have bears around my place and I do not put my garbage out until just before pick up (8:00am because we are in a heavy bear area) and I don't even have a compost pile. I am always upset that the young bears are killed each year and yet they do not bother people or our pets.

People from all over the world spend money to go to Jasper to see the bears and we could make PG a bear tourist area too.

Kill all the bears,kill all bear....save all the people.

Why not strategically plant these trees in areas in the back country and set up a rotten fruit dump in an area not to populated,or just kill all the bears,kill all the bears...save all the people.

I like Vulgars idea. I have my apples picked now and was thinking the same to draw them away from the city maybe dump them on the outskirts in a remote trail somewhere where they will find them and feel no need to head into town. Pay some homage to a magnificent animal.

But Eagleone! You already had your wrist slapped for doing just that once before, didn't you learn?

It's illegal to feed bears, plain and simple.
If you have apple or other fruit trees use the fruit or get rid of them.

Bears are going to be with us for a very long time and no one or thing will end them being dispatched when they come into contact with humans.

detoe43 wrote: "Opinionated, no one wrote anything about blaming the City for the destruction of this bear."

That was preceded by the first post by NoSeverance who wrote: "First off who is going to fine the City of PG for not picking their apples? They don't practice what they preach."

I suspect opinionated is trying to figure out where the City has planted apple trees. I know that I have never seen apple trees planted on the front of houses in the public ROW. Maybe there are some somewhere since I certainbly don't travel on every single street on a regular basis.

So, detoe43, I am always willing to learn. Has the City planted apple trees in the vicinity of Claxton in this case? And if not there, where has the City planted apple trees? And if they actually have planted apple trees, are city workers who take care of mowing parks, etc. not picking up the fruit or replacing those apple trees? If there are City apple trees, do we need a City apple tree replacement program as well as a private apple tree replacement program similar to the wood stove exchange program?

Come on, spill it. What is the public apple tree situation in this city?

As to the question who will fine the city?

I hope that the Conservation Officer has the ability to ticket private owners of property for flagrant disregard of the requirement to pick up fallen apples leading to the reckless endangerment of the lives of innocent bears shopping at their organic food store.

If so, and if there are public apple trees, then I would think they have the ability to fine the owners of those as well if the fruit is not picked before the bears access it.

So why would the fruit not be allowed to be put in the dump?

Because city workers and admninistration can't get thier act together, that is why.

It seems reasonable that they do not want fruit dumped into garbage dump areas since that would likely attract bears even more than the plain old ordinary organic garbage.

So, it is garbage, however. So the City ought to make alternate arrangements. Where is the list of stuff that the City will not take and the information right next to it of how to get rid of it.

That is known in the retail world as customer service.

I think the USA has the solution for us. You don't want undesirables in your country? Build a fence. It worked in Berlin, why should it not work at the longest undefended border in the world ... LOL ... yeah right ......

So apply that logic to this city and bears. Build a fence around the city. Keep moose, deer and bears out. The do it along highways, why not the city.

We could probably get some help from Stephen Harper's government. ;-)

Good one Gus!
I agree with most of you exept "give me more" and "opinionated".
We (humans) moved and keep moving into
the areas the wildlife used to "own",
so we have to do the right thing and
manage wildlife around our areas without
just killing them! The city is so into
improvements (spending), so what does it
take for them to build a fence, maybe
wireless around our city. Just a little
electric fence around the garden keeps them animals away, so why all the killing,
do some "saving wildlifes" solution!
After all, we canadians are proud of our
wildlife in front of the whole word.
Spend less on human greed and senselessness
and take care off (without killing)
our heritage and pride!

Farmers build fences to keep cattle and horses in. The put cattle guards on access roads that cross the fence line. It is not as we have not fenced the entire country for a hundred plus years.

To pretend that picking some fruit off trees is going to solve the probelm is totally unrealistic.

I mean we just saw a few years ago how the subdivision plan for the Tyner area included wildlife corridors instead of including human corridors that are protected from wildlife intrusion.

I think we simply need to face it, we are capable of protecting both wildlife and humans and their domestic animals. EWven if we were to follow all the guidelines we would not achieve 100% protection from each other.

Harmonious living with potentially dangerous wildlife is through separation, not integration. Separate the land use into human and domestic animals exclusive (urban and suburban areas within city limits); wild animal exclusive (wildlife reserves); and human, domestic and wild animal integrated (forest and range land).

apparently the City is working on changing afew bylaws but this seems to be taking a long time. Conservation issued issued two
WPO's (Wildlife protection orders) to the residents. While there is no immediate fine
if these residents do not keep their area attractant free until the bears go to sleep they will forced to pay in fine around $600 bucks.The city as no laws in place to fine residents yet.

Where there's a will there's a way!
Saving wildlife from unnecessarily
killings is not "mission impossible",
can be done the right way just have
to "wanna do it".

I have absolutely no problem with the CO's and RCMP shooting the bears that come in to town. It's the fools who leave garbage and fruit out I have a problem with. We have way too many bears in this country. All that the "save the bears fools" have done in increased the bear population throughout the province, and now we have "Problem bears". Keep shooting them, got no problem with that. And you dummies that leave stuff out for them, hope your kids don't get hurt by them.

Agreed with slim. Too many bears. I'm willing to bet that the bears never ever came to PG before the people did. There was nothing here for them except spruce trees and that isn't on the bears diet. The moose apparently weren't here either. It is people they are attracted to because we're just so damn nice.

Gus, There are
several crab apple trees at the west end
of 15th Avenue, at the east end of the Cottonwood Island Trails overlooking the junction of the Nechako & Fraser Rivers,
several places around the City where there are berry bushes all clearly on City land.
I also never wrote anything alluding to apple trees in the Claxton area but
Moores Meadow is behind Claxton & has always been a haven for bears (also City
land).
I'm sure there are other areas in the City that I don't know about but you did
ask.....;)

Thanks for that detoe43. I am sure there are berries in Moores Meadow since it is a nature park.

Yes, the City has signs up warning about bears in such places as Ginters, Moores Meadow and Cottonwood Island Park. I would expect to find berries in all those areas.

I have a cute picture of a cub sitting just off River Road near the Park parking lot playing with an empty 4litre milk jug. Not sure where the mother might have bought that. :-)

Biteme that would be a loosing bet. Areas along waterways are known as riparian areas which have a high density of natural food sources.Now of course there are two rivers that join where PG is located. Think of all the berry sources around here..Saskatoon,huckle and blue to name a few, mountain ash trees and the new buds of poplar trees also are natural food sources, grass and sedges and there are many more. I do agree that the bear population is high in numbers and maybe human impact has helped to support the growth, but please remember bears have flourished in North America because they have adapted to the natural environment, but because of human population many natural environments have either been destroyed or altered. Grizzlies were once found from California to Alaska,human intervention has isolated them to a few pockets scattered here and there. I have no problem with bears being hunted but shooting bears that venture into populated areas is not a viable solution.If a bear is destroyed that home range becomes vacant for another to occupy and round,round we go. A better solution is to be proactive that is to understand the habits of bears and not present them with unnatural food sources. Bear human interactions will happen but if bears are conditioned to see that we are not a source for food (pizza,peanut butter ect.) then they will have to rely on naturally occurring substances. the bear population will then be more manageable around human habitation. I believe that the majority of people in PG enjoy the wildlife we have and many will stand and gather around to either watch or take pictures. There is a problem with this in the case of watching a bear feeding from a garbage can and the bear is aware of a human presence. The bear will see this food source in an area where it is not threatened thus eliminating it's fear of people, but if people were to show a bear that they are not welcome (noises, shouting) they will most likely leave that food source. The best solution would be not to allow access at all, secure garbage and be mindful of any other attractants.
IF YOU DON'T GIVE THEM A REASON TO STAY THEY WILL GO AWAY.
The city is surrounded by forest and there will be encounters with wildlife,how we react to these encounters will provide its own solutions.
I hope this information is helpful

Gus the milk jug was probably a solitary reminder of Winton Global employee's past
(or is it passed....)