by Barbara Murray

Spring has arrived along with the tulips, daffodils and Symplocarpus foetidus. Why do I mention Symplocarpus foetidus, better known as skunk cabbage? After emerging from their dens, bears go in search of skunk cabbage to kick-start their system after a few months of hibernation. When the pungent aroma of skunk cabbage wafts through the forest, there are sure to be bears around.
As to why some bear families end up down the mountain amongst humans, survival is the motivating factor. Mother bears, with their cubs, make the trek to avoid predatory and amorous male bears who, without ready access to single females, have been known to kill young cubs, thereby rendering the female fertile and ready to mate within a couple of weeks. And bears of both genders move down in search of food. After losing up to 40 percent of their body weight while sleeping, they are anxious to pack it back on again before the next denning season when they will lose it all again. This is especially important for a female bear carrying a fertilized egg in May or June; the egg will not implant in the fall unless she has reached a healthy body weight.
Bears are opportunistic feeders and are attracted to food sources that require the least amount of energy to obtain, namely garbage, bird feed, ripened fruit – on trees or on the ground – and food from outdoor freezers. Please do not encourage bears in your area by making it easy for them to access food. “Nuisance” bears do not fare well in towns and suburbs, and the consequences are likely to be deadly, so please secure or remove all unnatural food sources from your yards and driveways.

Barbara Murray is the vice chair of the North Shore Spring Bear Festival Society. The Vancouver North Shore hosts its first Bear Fest 2007, April 23-29. Internationally-renowned bear experts Charlie Russell and Benjamin Kilham present An Evening of Bear Talk, April 27, 7pm, at the Kay Meek Centre. Call 604-913-3634 for tickets. Events include the festival finale in Ambleside Park on April 29, 10am-4pm. Visit www.northshorebearfest.com or email bearfest@shaw.ca for information.