Why We Started AnimalJerks: The Burke Mountain Bear Problem

How growing up with black bears shaped our commitment to compostable packaging

This isn't staged. This is just a regular Tuesday on Burke Mountain.

Growing up here in Port Coquitlam, BC, bears have always been part of the landscape. They were around - you'd see signs of them, hear stories from neighbors - but they mostly kept to themselves in the forest. That changed about two decades ago when development started pushing up the mountain.

When Suburbs Meet Wild Spaces

As more houses appeared on Burke Mountain, the bears' natural feeding grounds disappeared. Blackberry patches got cleared for driveways. Apple orchards became cul-de-sacs. The forest canopy that once sheltered their food sources shrank with every new subdivision.

The bears didn't leave - they adapted. And that meant coming down the mountain to find food where the food now lived: in our neighborhoods.

The Three-Bin Problem

If you've ever lived in bear country, you know the routine. Sunday night, you roll your bins to the curb for Monday pickup. Monday morning, you wake up to this scene - garbage bins tipped over, trash scattered across the street, and that sinking feeling that you're about to spend your morning cleaning up wet coffee grounds and shredded packaging before the truck arrives.

When Port Coquitlam introduced the three-bin system - compost, garbage, and recycling - it got worse. Now bears had three times the options and three times the mess. But the real problem wasn't the inconvenience for us. It was what the bears were eating.

When Bears Get Sick, Everyone Loses

Plastic packaging, rotting food wrapped in more plastic, cleaning product containers, batteries - none of this is meant to go through a bear's digestive system. When bears get sick from eating garbage, they can become aggressive. Aggressive bears become dangerous bears. Dangerous bears get put down.

That's not a solution anyone wants.

Our Answer: Compostable Everything

When we started AnimalJerks, we had one goal: build the most eco-conscious pet brand in Canada while living in one of the most pristine places around - Burke Mountain, British Columbia.

We ship everything in compostable mailers made from plant-based materials. Our shipping labels? Also compostable, sourced from our sister company EcoJerks - the first company in Canada selling compostable shipping labels. Even our inserts are made from 100% recycled plastic.

We're not delusional enough to think bears won't get sick if they eat our mailers. But it's one less piece of plastic heading to the landfill. One less thing that'll sit in a bear's stomach for months. One less problem in an already complicated situation.

We also cut out all unnecessary boxes and plastic packaging. Just the bare bones. (Yeah, we just made a bad dog pun.) That reduces landfill waste and lets us pass the savings on to you.

Living What We Preach

So when we say AnimalJerks is eco-conscious, we truly mean it. This isn't greenwashing or trendy marketing. This is about protecting the place we call home and the wildlife we grew up alongside.

Next time your AnimalJerks order arrives in a compostable mailer with a compostable label, know that it's not just about reducing your carbon footprint. It's about keeping our backyard safe for the bears who were here first - and making sure they stay wild, healthy, and far away from garbage bins.

Shop our full line of eco-friendly pet supplies at AnimalJerks.com - shipped responsibly from Burke Mountain, BC.