A video of two black bears fighting on a trampoline in a backyard in Coquitlam, British Columbia, prompted a wildlife expert to advise caution as animals emerge from hibernation and often approach humans.
The video, shot last Sunday by Coquitlam resident Rose Waldron, shows an unrestricted cage fight between two young bears that perform best in professional wrestlers as they climb it on its trampoline.
Doug Waldron, Rose’s husband, says bears regularly visit the family’s backyard, which is located near a lake near the Coquitlam River.
“This is their bathing place and their fishing hole. This is their country,” he said. “They can come and go as they please. They don’t bother anyone.”
WATCH The backyard wrestling match in Coquitlam:
Two black bears fight on a trampoline in the backyard
Coquitlam resident Rose Waldron had a spot in the front row while two young bears had a fight in her yard. (Credit: Rose Waldron / Spotbug Press) 1:31
Waldron says bear visits have become so regular this spring that he leaves the gate open so stray bears don’t jump over his fences.
“We sat around the picnic table, drinking coffee or whatever in the afternoon, and a mother and her little ones would come into the yard,” he said.
“They’ll notice we’re there and they’ll just turn around and leave.”
Despite significant back and forth movement in the wrestling competition, Waldron says most of the trampoline is unharmed – as the net and platform of the trampoline are not affected by the bear’s sharp claws.
However, the fiberglass rods that hold the trampoline net cracked under the weight of the bears, and Waldron regretfully said he would have to replace them.
“It’s good enough for someone [weighing] 150 pounds or less, I’m sure, “he said, laughing.” But having 800 pounds of a bear on your trampoline didn’t help. “
Safety tips for bears
Experts say encounters between humans and bears are expected in the coming weeks as animals begin to move around in search of food after hibernation.
Vanessa Isnardi, program manager for the WildSafeBC awareness group, says people should try not to get close to bears that roam near their homes.
“We encourage people when they make videos to keep the bears unaware of your presence,” she told CBC News.
“We don’t want bears to feel too comfortable or used to people. That causes a lot of problems.”
It is not a joke.
Hundreds of polar bears are killed each year for linking people and their activities to sources of unnatural food sources.
Bears that learn to feed on unnatural food sources are more likely to come into conflict with humans. pic.twitter.com/1VOOK47VmR
– @wildsafebc
Isnardi says it is important that wild bears do not eat human food, but instead rely on natural food sources.
“Bears are omnivorous. They will eat a wide variety of things if they can extract a few calories from them,” she said. “If you have leftover spaghetti that has spoiled in the trash, it can go away.”
Isnardi says people should try to secure their trash cans so that bears can’t get to them, preferably in their garage if they have access to one.
“You always want to make sure your yard is tidy, that there’s nothing to entangle an animal,” she said. “It is really important as a responsible person, if you have a bird feeder, to really keep it inaccessible to your non-target species.
Isnardi says yard owners need to think take down their bird feeders for the spring when the bears start to roam, and check their local regulations to see if they can install electric fences to dissuade them from entering their yard.
She believes the Waldrons were visited by one-year-old black bears, who will eventually leave their mothers this year and make their way around the world.
As bears soon emerge from their dens, now is the time to make sure your trash is protected. WildSafeBC has some tips for dealing with the protection of bears from your waste:
– Store rubbish indoors whenever possible
– Freeze odorous items until the day of collection or transportation pic.twitter.com/fJrwPxIxlh
– @wildsafebc
“Bears tend to avoid people. They want to avoid our human activities,” she said. “But when we have young bears growing up in an urban environment … They start to lose people’s natural alertness.
“It’s really important that everyone encourages bears to hang out in their backyards and their communities.” [and] encourage them to move to all natural places where it is safer for them. “
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