Living in the Bow Valley means removing forbidden fruit.

Fruit trees and shrubs have become even more attractive to bears as we've gotten better at removing access to garbage and food waste. When they learn where to get food, they’ll continue returning, getting bolder and more aggressive. Even without contact, a bear in town may need to be relocated away from its home. Repeat visitors may even need to be killed.

Follow these tips to keep bears and our community safe:

1. If you have a fruit tree, have it replaced with a wildlife-friendly alternative.

2. Bears are interested in ripening fruit on trees, so picking off the ground isn’t enough. And fences are no match for their climbing skills.

3. You should remove all fruit trees and shrubs, but these are the biggest draws for bears:
   Crabapples (ornamental or edible), apples, plums Chokecherry, pin cherry, Saskatoon berry, elderberry, Red osier dogwood, mountain ash, buffaloberry (or soapberry), Elderberry

4. Use WildSmart, FireSmart and environmentally responsible landscaping.