Can’t grin and bear these bruin intrusions

Since when did Burnaby morph into Bearnaby?

While there has been an odd sighting or two in the city over the years, it has been a frequent occurrence in 2008, just as it has in neighbouring communities such as the Tri-Cities. In the last month or two, there have been quite a few. One bear that was nabbed around the PNE grounds in East Vancouver was first spotted in North Burnaby.

On June 12, three bears were discovered up a tree on a street near Seaforth elementary school off Government Road. Officials neither confirmed nor denied the rumour that they were desperate for food because Goldilocks had eaten their porridge.

Then, last Friday, another little bear was seen near Kisbey Park in South Burnaby, well above Deer Lake.

Usually, any bears that rumble into the Lower Mainland neck of the woods come down out of the mountains and end up in Coquitlam or Maple Ridge, or on the North Shore. For a bear to make it that far south is a feat. It would require getting across the Lougheed Highway, the freeway and Canada Way. That’s a trifecta that’s tough enough for pedestrians to traverse safely let alone furry carnivores.

Somebody should start a petition calling on the Gordon Campbell government to supply the area’s bears with their own GPS devices.

The region’s building boom during the last few years would, on the surface, seem to discourage wildlife migration. After all, cement isn’t considered one of a bear’s basic food groups. But, in an ironic twist, urban sprawl is actually helping bears become citified.

With subdivisions multiplying like rabbits on the northern and eastern edges of Metro Vancouver, bears are being forced out of their natural habitat. This year’s weather didn’t make for a good growing season for bear food, either. So in searching for something to satisfy their tastebuds, they’ve been attracted by the aroma of urban garbage, which has drawn them into the city, say conservationists.

Rotting waste isn’t the only attraction. One reason many residents of Burnaby came to live in the city is its plentiful and large wooded parks. Those points of pride also entice bears and other wildlife such as coyotes, raccoons and skunks, which, like bears, are also compost connoisseurs.

Lower Mainland developers are missing out on an opportunity. They could mass-market housing for wildlife. “Skunk Estates: Yaletown luxury in the suburbs for sophisticated white-stripes.” Or “Raccoon Village: Fine dining at your back door.” Or “Jellystone Park: For the Yogi and Boo Boo in all of you.”

Animal humour aside, the presence of bears in residential areas is sad to see. Humans came to this continent in the last couple of centuries and intruded on their homes, and bears and other wildlife are being issued eviction notices with nowhere to go.

Some might declare, “The cursed scavengers should be eliminated because they’re up to no good and they’re a threat to us all.”

But if they are a threat, it’s only because of the intrusion being made upon them.

Having bears turning Burnaby into Bearnaby isn’t upsetting because of any possible harm they could cause us. It’s upsetting for what it means to them.

Grant Granger is a reporter with

the Burnaby NewsLeader, a Black Press

sister paper of The Tri-City News.