While the town’s animal control department and OPP have been responding to a steady stream of nuisance bear calls here, bylaw/animal control officer Dave Egan said he expects the activity to slow down in the next couple of weeks.
“It’s been bearable. Most recently, we’ve had about five reports a week. But it hasn’t been too bad, really,” Egan noted Thursday morning.
The most recent report was of a mother bear and her two cubs up a tree in the Cornwall Avenue North area Tuesday morning.
“We’ve also found a bear that seems to know the garbage pickup schedule in the Crowe and Frenette part of town, so we’ve set up a trap there,” Egan remarked.
He noted reports of bears in the media, whether it’s Kenora or southern Ontario, don’t reflect the number of bruins here, which are “relatively the same as last year.”
Egan said the incursions are the result of bears looking for food. And while numerous bears have been reported at the landfill, bears in town most recently have been on the prowl for fruit and acorns on trees.
“We monitor bear activity at the dump and by the end of September, it seems they disappear,” said Egan, adding residents still should take precautions to discourage the bears in the meantime.
Some tips to follow when dealing with bears, and ensuring public safety, include:
•clean up any garbage in your yard (garbage has been responsible for attracting bears to certain areas in recent incidents);
•dumpster lids should be closed;
•after barbecuing, burn off the grills;
•don’t compost with open containers; and
•leave the bears alone—remember, they’re wild and highly unpredictable.
Users of the landfill site off McIrvine Road should be cautious of bears when disposing of garbage there. Residents also are urged not to go to the landfill just to see the bears.
Egan reminded residents not to call the bylaw office but instead call the OPP communications centre at 1-888-310-1122 about nuisance bears.
According to an agreement between the town, Ministry of Natural Resources, and the OPP, complainants must go through the police first.
Complainants should be prepared to provide the following information to assist the OPP:
•the location of the bear;
•number of times bear sighted;
•time(s) of day bear sighted;
•possible attractants in area (birdfeeder, garbage, etc.); and
•what property damage occurred.
After a report is made to the OPP dispatcher, police either will continue to receive and monitor reports, or take action to secure public safety by having a bylaw officer and/or police attend the scene.
There, authorities will either deploy a live trap, immobilize and remove the bear, or destroy it if necessary.
