A Pemberton homeowner is urging neighbours to be extra cautious after a black bear knocked over her deep freezer and dragged it around. She said it is the first time she has seen a bear try to break into the outdoor freezer.
Jazmyn Kellett said she started to hear worrying noises coming from her backyard at about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15. “We have bear-proof garbage bins that are picked up every other week, and he’s gone for that multiple times but never gets in,” she said. “At first I thought that was it, and was just kind of ignoring it. Then I heard the noise from a weird spot under the deck so figured I should go check to make sure he wasn’t breaking anything.
“I turned on the light and saw wet foot prints right by the back door. I looked around and he wasn’t in sight, so I felt safe to open the door.”
Kellett is advising other homeowners to move their freezers indoors. She was worried by how unbothered the bear was in her presence. “I popped my head out and he had the freezer on the ground and was pushing it around. It didn’t manage to open up luckily, so our food was safe,” she said. “When I went outside I was yelling at him to get away and clapping my hands. I was banging on the side of the house, which usually startles them. It barely even cared I was there. It just leisurely walked away.”
The Pemberton resident said neighbours have reported similar experiences this year. “I have lived in Pemby my whole life,” she said. “We’ve always had a deep freeze outside the back door, and never had an issue before or ever even had them look twice at the freezer. It was a bit surprising to see. We’ve had them in the yard lots going for fruit trees, compost, garden, but never the freezer before. They’re obviously getting pretty hungry this year. They are surprisingly un-afraid of humans.”
There have been reports of bears breaking into cars and killing livestock around Pemberton. It comes after a TikTok video of a black bear eating takeout at a bus stop in Whistler gained great criticism from locals. A black bear that was found eating garbage inside an Alpine Meadows home on Sept. 30 was killed by conservation officers.
The Village of Pemberton reminds people to keep their homes and yards bear-proof.
“Although watching a bear feed in your yard can be an exhilarating experience, it often leads to trouble. Making sure your home and yard are bear-proof is an essential part of making your community safe for both bears and people,” reads a post on the VOP’s website.
Proper management of attractants such as fruit trees, vegetable gardens, backyard chickens, bird feeders, and compost “is essential to coexist with bears in Pemberton,” the VOP said.
Residents are reminded to secure all bear attractants and report bear encounters by calling COS: 1-877-952-7277.
