This is good for bears, but is it good for people to report on their neighbors?

[likesmountains 52]

Where I live we have a problem with hungry bears coming through town and getting in to trash..which is very bad for the bears if they get caught..2 times and they are killed. The public works dept. has offered bear proof trash cans for sale but they cost around $200. Last month the city council passed an ordinance that anyone receiving 2 or more citations for having bears in their trash would have to buy one of these cans. It's not really that hard to avoid these bear encounters..if you just put your trash out the morning of pick up you'll be fine. I am all for the trash can idea, but hate the thought of people driving around looking for offenders to turn in..

[yardwork]

1. I'm so confused.

They give the bears citations, and if a bear gets two citations he/she gets the death penalty? How do the authorities know if a bear has already been cited once. Do they pin the citation to their coat, like Paddington?

[likesmountains 52]

2. yup, they get an ear tag.. The first time they trap them and move them to a remote location in the

mountains...if they come back and get caught a second time they put them to sleep...it's awful really.

[yardwork]

3. Ok, so that part's clear now. Next question - the people get citations, too?

You're reporting that people get citations for having un-bear-safe trash cans?

[likesmountains 52]

4. up until now they just got a sticker on their trash can that told them how to avoid having bears

in their trash...these were put on by a citizen's group, not the police or the city...but now I guess they'll get a ticket the first time and the second offense will cost them a fine ( maybe $100)
and they'll be required to get a bear proof can..As much as I support this, I am having reservations about people driving around looking for people to "turn in."

[MrCoffee]

5. I don't get it.

Is the sanitation department reporting them? I'd imagine that some people might not like to wake up to their neighbors non-bear proof trash strewn all over their yard.

[likesmountains 52]

6. I think anyone can report them..but I doubt that the police or sanitation has the time to do it..

You're right...the bears do not always eat where they get the food. They'll carry the trash bags to someone's yard and tear them up..And they're smart. I watched 2 across the street one night and all of a sudden they stopped eating and ran to hide in the neighbor's back yard..a few seconds later a police cruiser was coming down the street with his spotlight looking for them! They ran and hid just like a couple of teenagers out after curfew.

[MrCoffee]

7. sounds like the city is trying to curtail a nuisance issue, then

maybe requiring them to buy the trash cans is a little much, but i'm sure it's better than having to go to court on a nuisance charge.