Bear wise?

Dear editor:
I am writing this letter to Natural Resources minister David Ramsay to express an opinion about the provincial “Bear Wise” program that’s meant to educate and assist the public when dealing with nuisance bears.
The program has been around for several years and I understand that statistics show the number of calls reporting nuisance bears is declining, and this decline is being interpreted as a success with the situation under control.
Well, I’d like to go on record as saying that interpreting declining calls, if that is the case, as a success is incorrect.
I have lived in Longlac since the late 1970s. Working in the forest industry and enjoying hunting and fishing, I am familiar with bears. For the first 20-plus years, bears occasionally were seen but hardly ever in our back yards or streets.
Then in 1999, the province changed the hunting regulations/season and bear populations have been increasing ever since. Bears and people are living closer together—and conflict is inevitable and rising.
I recently have been involved with the “Bear Wise” program, agreeing to have a live trap set in my yard, which was being used as a travel corridor by at least one bear (and I suspect a couple).
Around 10:30 on a Friday night, the trap was sprung and a bear caught. Using the “Bear Wise” number at around 7:45 the next morning, my call was routed to Sault Ste. Marie. I explained the situation to the person on the other end.
Feeling somewhat responsible, we would not leave the trap and animal unattended until removed. So I requested a return call letting us know what arrangements were made so we could plan accordingly.
We received a return call about an hour later and were told the person contracted to handle the situation would be here within the hour. Well, after a long day of phone calls and increasing frustration levels, and after being re-routed to a voice in Nipigon, a couple of wildlife wranglers showed up around 5 p.m. that evening.
It is the handling of this situation that was the icing on the cake and prompted me to speak out.
Now, I prefer the humane approach to deal with the bear situation for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not the bear’s fault that they must compete more vigorously with their own kind for forage on shrinking home ranges.
Or, that as bears and people are pushed closer together, bears are becoming human habitualized or losing their fear of people.
But more importantly to me, I do not want to be responsible for sending a bear on a rampage, causing harm or damage, if the vigilante approach is unsuccessful. And please do not kid yourself, the vigilante solution is popular and growing.
It’s even been given its own acronym: “3-S’s” (shoot, shovel, shut-up).
Shots ringing out in the night are becoming quite common. It’s well-meaning people concerned for their families, friends, and property that are dealing with the situation.
People who possibly tried the “Bear Wise” approach and consider it ineffective.
Some may have received direction like “teach your three-year-old how to deal with bears” or “shoot it with a paint gun so you can tell if it’s the same one.”
These are just a couple of the examples/rumours of the direction given.
We’ve all seen the live traps sitting around the neighbourhood and bears are being moved away from the towns, but it’s not enough—it’s not keeping up to the flow.
This letter is a request or a plea, whichever you prefer, Mr. Ramsay. I implore government agencies such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Provincial Police, both provincially and locally, to look closer than just telephone statistics.
For us all to acknowledge the situation is deteriorating and deal with it.
Policies and procedures are required that will inject efficiencies and credibility into the program. Our local agents need support and resources to run meaningful bear management programs.
The individuals contracted to “Bear Wise” are representatives of the Crown and should conduct themselves accordingly.
These improvements are vital. In my opinion, the clock is ticking on how long it will be before someone is hurt, or worse, as a direct result of an inadequate program.
Yours truly,
William Davidson
Longlac, Ont.