Some common-sense precautions can help to reduce the risk of conflicts between bears and people this summer.
Zoe Kirk, the Bear Aware coordinator for the regional district, said people in the area must reduce and manage attractants which lure bears into the communities.
Attractants include household garbage, bird feeders, open pet food, compost, dirty barbecues and food wastes.
Kirk said bears have extremely sensitive noses and will be drawn to food odours.
“If we can control our attractants, we will reduce the conflicts between humans and bears,” she said.
“We have to take the steps to avoid luring them into our communities.”
She said a bear was recently shot in Summerland, but conservation officers would prefer to eliminate human-bear conflicts rather than deal with a problem bear.
For campers and hikers, the same bear safety principles apply.
Kirk said campers should keep their food secured and store in air-tight containers.
Garbage with any hint of a food odour should be removed from the campsite.
Hikers who encounter bears should talk or make noise to make their presence known.
They should also allow plenty of space between themselves and the bears.
“We are definitely seeing more human-bear conflicts,” Kirk said.
The chance of a fatal encounter however is slim.
From 1900 to the present, 63 people throughout North America have died as a result of bear attacks.
Of these, 12 were in British Columbia.
Nine of these were from grizzly bear attacks while three were from black bear attacks.
In the Okanagan, black bears are most commonly seen while grizzlies are rare.