5 young bears turn B.C. lawn into their own personal playground

Five young black bears treated a B.C. woman to a “once in a lifetime photo opportunity” this week when they converted her front yard into their personal playground.

Wendy Chartrand woke up around 7 a.m. Monday to see a trio of bears playing outside her window.

Then, a fourth joined them.

And a fifth.

All told, she says, they stuck around for more than two hours, wrestling and exploring.

“It was a pretty amazing experience,” she said.

B.C. woman’s front lawn becomes a playground for young bears

Wendy Chartrand got a ‘once in a lifetime photo opportunity’ when five young black bears decided to use her front lawn in Prince George, B.C., as a space to play.

Based on their size, she guesses they are one or two years old — not cubs but still not fully grown.

Chartrand lives in the downtown VLA neighbourhood of Prince George, backing onto the Hudson’s Bay Wetland Nature Park, so bears aren’t an unusual sight for her.

But to have five all at once, tackling each other and playing was a “once in a lifetime” event, she said.

“I’d like to know if anyone has ever seen that many bears in one area and playing.”

More than 40 tickets issued as bear sightings up

Like many people in Prince George, Chartrand is noticing a major increase in bear activity this year.

The conservation officer service says it had to kill 21 bears in the first three weeks of August as they became habituated to human sources of food.

Meanwhile, both police and bylaw officers say they are receiving a record number of bear-related complaints and sightings.

Watch 2 minutes of bears being bears

Bears are out in full force in Prince George in northern B.C., eating berries, exploring backyard swing sets and being disappointed by empty garbage cans.

For the first time in years, the city is issuing tickets rather than warnings for bylaw violations related to unsecured garbage, fruit trees and other attractants in an effort to tamp down on bears coming into residential neighbourhoods.

In a statement Friday, the city said it had issued 41 tickets and 19 warnings this year, compared to zero in past years.

“The emphasis has gone past education, and we have gone to enforcement because it has become a public safety issue this year,” bylaw manager Charlotte Peters said in a statement.

“The sheer quantity of bears this summer should be motivating people to do the right thing.”

Chartrand agrees and says she’s been diligent about picking apples and keeping her garbage locked away. Eventually, she said, she turned on sirens using her home alarm system to encourage the bears to go back into the woods before they got too inquisitive.

“We’re on their territory,” she said. “We just need to be mindful.”

To report aggressive bear behaviour, residents are urged to call the Conservation Officer Service hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

To report potential bylaw violations, residents can call city bylaw services at 1-250-561-7622 or email bylawstaff@princegeorge.ca.