Whistlerites LOVE their bears! Perhaps its ’cause we all grew up with “Winnie the Pooh”, but the mentality that a bear is a cuddly, cute friend is both a blessing and a curse to our Whistler Bears. Did you know that “Winnie” was actually named for Winnipeg…that’s right he was a CANADIAN Bear! And if he lived in Whistler he would have been a happy bear…for the most part! Especially now that Whistler is going for its “Bear Aware” status.

I knew that our daughter had reached ‘local’ status when her and her 11 year old girlfriend were walking the valley trail when a bear crossed highway 99 at Lorimer. A tourist leapt from his car screaming for someone to call 911…the girls literally dropped to the ground they laughed so hard! Around here, the bears are kind of treated like very large rats.

People new to Whistler assume that the poor bear hanging around outside their birdfeeder must be starving so they try and help by giving it a loving snack. Would you feed a rat? A perfect example of how love can kill is from a friend who laments on her facebook status: “Last week a bear was shot, who had lived here for many many years..I knew Parker, he would drop by occassionally. Last night at 3 am, I heard three gunshots. This morning wandered out to see blood stains covering the roadway..and assume another bear has been killed due to the neglect of a group of young people who rent a house on Tyrol Cres, Alta Vista. Shame on you, grow up, bears deserve respect not garbage” Bears habituated to garbage will even miss hibernation as the food source is so rich. And yes we do actually NAME all our bears here…all 98 of them around Whistler have names and geneologies…

Nothing makes a local more pissed off than hitting a tourist who has just STOPPED in the middle of the highway in awe and amazement at the lovely glossy bear grazing knee-deep in Lupines! I’m sitting in my office about May and in the playground of the elementary school next door, see Mamma with 2 beautiful cubs, one rusty colored and one black. They are grazing on the new grasses and clover. After a week of seeing her every single day, hanging out with the kids playing literally feet away, you start to forget that they are dangerous and unpredicatable. If as bear gets too close the kids just all bang pots and pans to scare them away.

When I go out to my jeep, I see a group of bikers at my trunk. I see they are watching a cub grazing at the side of the valley trail. Then I peer into the bushes about 10 yards from us and see Mamma, lying hidden in the bush carefully watching her young cub. Casually, I wonder where the second cub is, but to be safe scoop up my small dog and move to the drivers side to get into the safety of the jeep. I freeze when I realize the second missing cub is pretty much leaning on my front bumper while eating.

Well, I froze for all of about 3 seconds while I try and decide if I can get my truck unlocked and into it before Mom can charge me because she figures I am threatening her cub. In the meantime, group of admiring bikers stand around casually getting ready to be eaten. Very slowly I unlock and get into the jeep and then sit there for a couple of minutes trying to get my breath… Even when I start the truck, the cub barely lifts its head from the long grass. Bears are so used to people that it has become odd. I’ve heard of coexistance, but this is getting a bit close for comfort…and mom,(named Cinnamon Bear like the bar here) and cubs stayed for weeks until the snow melted.

But you know someone is taking it seriously when you are sitting at your computer and you see a HUGE black bear walk by your office window…followed by two conservation officers carrying big rifles. Its distracting listening to the loud booms as they try and scare the bear out of the area with rubber bullets and loud sounds… So Whistler continues at this point to walk the tight-rope of co-existance with our furry friends. If you come here, chances are very good you will see at least one bear, and it can be the highlight of a trip, just use your common sense and remember they are wild animals. See the link below for one young bears spring entertainment this year posted on Youtube!

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8CcTpqRLpA