With hot weather in the forecast for much of B.C., conservation officers are warning that attempts to keep cool could inadvertently invite an "unwanted visitor."
In a social media post Friday, the BC Conservation Officer Service said when temperatures spiked last summer they were called to three homes in a single day for reports of bears walking into homes through open doors.
"Bears have amazing noses and could follow the scent of food right into your home," the post read, captioning a photo of the apparent aftermath of one of these incidents.
"We know it can be challenging but securing or monitoring your home is essential in bear country."
Earlier this week, the BCCOS posted a series of photos warning drivers of the risks of leaving food in their cars.
"We've received several reports of bears breaking into cars," the BCCOS said. "Your car can be torn apart."
The pictures shared by the agency show parts of car doors ripped off and door frames bent.
Conservation officers continue to urge people secure attractants like garbage, pet food and birdseed, both at home and in vehicles. Advocates have also said the cold, wet spring that most of the province experienced led to more bears venturing into human-populated neighbourhoods because their natural food supply was scarce.
Both of these warnings come as the service says calls about "human-wildlife conflicts" involving black bears in the province have reached a 10-year high. Provincial data shows there were 8,972 of these reports from the beginning of April to the end of June. Last year in the same time period there were 6,279 – a difference of 2,663.
The number of bears destroyed, however, is down when compared to last year: from 158 to 142.
