It’s that time of year when bears fatten up to prepare for hibernation, and one Metro Vancouver family witnessed it first-hand in their backyard. B.C. Parks says bears are entering a phase called hyperphagia, when they can eat up to 24,000 calories a day. Cyrus Wachong says he was making lunch last Wednesday when his dad called him to look outside: there was a mama bear on the deck and two babies climbing up a wooden beam. “Thankfully, the mama bear never climbed up because she would have collapsed the beam,” he told CTV News on Tuesday. The bears were after his mom’s grape plants, and Wachong says they ate all of them. The home is located on a “bear highway,” a greenbelt in Coquitlam, so the animals are a common sight in the backyard. “These guys are very beautiful and it’s always fun to see them, even if they’re eating all the grapes,” Wachong said. He added his family takes precautions to keep themselves and the bears safe by keeping garbage far back in the garage and never leaving anything smelly outside. “We have to respect the bears, and I think in Coquitlam at least it seems to be pretty well understood that this is their house, so you kind of just respect them and don’t get in their way and don’t give them a reason to be aggressive.” Officials urge anyone heading into the backcountry this long weekend to store attractants—including anything scented—safely in a locked vehicle, food storage locker, bear-proof container or bear hang. B.C. Parks reminded hikers to pay attention to their surroundings, avoid using headphones and carry bear spray. More information on how to keep both yourself and bears safe can be found on the WildSafeBC website.
