Duane Hicks
While the numbers aren’t as high as they’ve been in some years over the past decade, reports of bear sightings have been coming in to the town’s bylaw enforcement officers, with no end in activity probably until early October.
“We do have some bears around town. It’s not a steady flow by any means, but we have two traps set in town,” bylaw enforcement/animal control officer Arlene Byrnes noted Friday.
“We haven’t trapped any yet, but we have had 14 calls or sightings,” she added, noting the reports first started in June while the most recent one was at the very end of July.
One bear had to be immobilized and relocated at the end of June.
Numbers so far are a little lower than last year. Between June and August, 2008, the town had received 19 reports of bears.
By the time bears started going into hibernation in late October, they’d gotten a total of 40.
But Byrnes expects there will be more sightings, picking up at the end of this month and leading into October.
The best advice she can give residents to avoid attracting bears to their property is to put their garbage out on the morning of garbage day—not the night before or earlier.
Other precautionary measures that can be taken in order to help prevent bears from staying in the area include:
•do not leave pet food outdoors;
•thoroughly clean outdoor grills after use;
•discontinue filling bird feeders for the time being;
•do not put meat, fish, or sweet food (including fruit) in your composter;
•don’t compost with open containers;
•keep meat scraps in the freezer until garbage day;
•clean up any garbage in your yard;
•ensure dumpster lids are closed; and
•leave the bears alone—remember, they’re wild and highly unpredictable.
Residents with bear complaints are directed to call the OPP’s communications centre (1-888-310-1122), not the local detachment or the town.
When reporting a bear, complainants should be prepared to provide the following information:
•the location of the bear;
•number of times the bear has been sighted;
•time(s) of day the bear is sighted;
•possible attractants in area (birdfeeders, garbage, etc.); and
•what, if any, property damage occurred.
After a report is made, a bylaw officer and/or police may attend the scene, depending on the circumstances.
Authorities then either will continue to receive and monitor the reports of the nuisance bear, deploy a live trap, immobilize, and remove the bear, or destroy it if necessary.
