Be bear smart

Be Bear Smart

Residents in areas with wildlife, including bears, should follow Bear Smart best practices, especially from April to November when bears are most active.

If Alberta Fish and Wildlife identifies a public safety risk, The City of Calgary may temporarily declare a community a “wildlife-affected” area. During this time, all residents must follow special rules for waste storage and collection.

We encourage all communities with a history of bear activity to always follow Bear Smart practices to help keep wildlife out of our neighborhoods.

Calgary communities with known bear visitors:

  • Discovery Ridge
  • Lakeview
  • Woodbine
  • Woodlands
  • Springbank Hill
  • Oakridge
  • Bayview
  • Palliser
  • Pump Hill
  • Eagle Ridge
  • Cedarbrae

How to prevent wildlife encounters in your community

Bears and other wildlife will come into urban areas looking for easy sources of food. Residential collection carts, fruit trees, bird feeders and other human-related food sources are strong attractants. 

When bears find food near people, they lose their natural fear of humans. These food-conditioned bears can become serious safety risk in communities and may need to be trapped, relocated, or euthanized.

Prevent this from happening by securing all food attractants and by managing your waste properly.

Do

  • Set your carts out no earlier than 5 a.m. and no later than 7 a.m. on collection day. Work with your neighbors if you need help putting carts out at the right time. 
  • Put away your carts after collection, no later than 7 p.m.
  • Freeze food waste prior to putting it out in the green cart on your collection day. 
  • Clean the carts periodically to reduce odours.
  • Store your carts inside a garage or other secure enclosure.

Note: Secure storage options are available offering an alternative to limited garage space. These enclosures can be purchased or built. An example of such is found here: https://haulall.com/hid-a-cart/.

Don't

  • Don't put your carts out overnight. This has been identified as a significant attractant of bears and other wildlife. 
  • Don’t leave your carts out in the alley.

 

 

 

 

 

Store your carts inside a shed or garage to prevent animals from getting into your bins.

Only put your carts out the morning of collection (5 a.m. – 7 a.m.) to limit access to bins.  Put carts away no later than 7 p.m. the same day.

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