B.C. Conservation officers killed the first bear of the season in Sooke late last month.
The three-year-old female bear was caught and then killed because it was classified as “habituated” by conservation officials.
The young bear was systematically going through garbage put out on garbage day, and it was likely the same bear that showed interest in entering a chicken coop in the same area, said Debbie Read, community coordinator for Wild Wise Sooke.
Wild Wise Sooke is issuing a public advisory to help raise awareness of the issue and encourage residents to manage all bear attractants.
“Everyone should know that relocation of bears is not an option,” Read said.
“Research has proven, the bear who no longer has a fear for humans, usually ill from all the garbage it’s been eating, starves slowly in an unfamiliar area.”
Read said about four bears are killed every year in Sooke due to human complacency.
There are currently three areas in Sooke that remain problem areas for bears: Philips Road, Sooke River Road and Dixon Road.
“The problem is not the bear,” Read said.
Homeowners must reduce all bear attractions and encourage the animals to forage in the wild.
Wild Wise Sooke has begun a campaign by placing advisory messages on signs, flyers, posters and on social media.
For more information, email wildwiseSooke@gmail.