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Bears roam Northwood neighbourhood: Reports

THUNDER BAY – Social media was buzzing Tuesday evening with reports of nuisance bears – or perhaps just a single nuisance bear – in the Northwood area.
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(Facebook.com)

THUNDER BAY – Social media was buzzing Tuesday evening with reports of nuisance bears – or perhaps just a single nuisance bear – in the Northwood area.

A post on Facebook showing a bear attempting to climb over a fence in a residential neighbourhood began circulating Tuesday.

“So this is happening in Northwood right now,” the original poster writes. “Near Thornloe. Hide your kids, hide your dogs! Police have been notified.”

The post comes at a time when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is ramping up its bear wise awareness programming.

Following is information from the MNRF’s bearwise program on what to do if you encounter a nuisance bear, and when it’s appropriate to contact 911.

Emergency encounters:

Bears want to avoid humans. Most encounters are not aggressive and attacks are rare. But if you feel a bear poses an immediate threat to personal safety, you need to act.

Call 911 or local police, if a bear:
• enters a school yard when school is in session
• enters or tries to enter a residence
• wanders into a public gathering
• kills livestock/pets and lingers at the site
• stalks people and lingers at the site

Non-emergency encounters:

Call the Bear Wise reporting line at 1-866-514-2327 (April 1-November 30) if a bear is:

• roaming around, checking garbage cans
• breaking into a shed where garbage or food is stored
• in a tree
• pulling down a bird feeder or knocking over a barbecue
• moving through a backyard or field but is not lingering

About black bears
Bears usually avoid humans.

Black bears live throughout most of Ontario. They primarily inhabit forested areas where they are best able to find food, refuge and den sites.

Eating habits and diet
Their entire life revolves around food. When they are not hibernating, bears spend most of their time looking for food.

From the time they come out of hibernation until berry crops are available, bears live off their stored fat and the limited energy provided by fresh spring greens. They get most of their food energy by feeding on summer berry crops like blueberries, raspberries, and cherries. In the fall, they turn their attention to hazel nuts, mountain ash, acorns and beech nuts.

Though black bears will eat carrion, insects, fish, deer fawns and moose calves, the bulk of their diet is plant material. Their natural preference is to find lots of high energy food – like berry patches – that will help them fatten up fast. Their survival and ability to have and raise young depend on their ability to double their weight before going into winter hibernation.

The availability of their natural food varies from season to season and from year to year. When natural food sources are poor, black bears will travel long distances to seek out alternative sources of food.

Bear-human interactions
Bears usually avoid humans. But they are attracted into urban and rural areas to get food.

They will topple bird feeders, ransack barbecues, raid garbage cans and even try to enter buildings. If they learn that they can find food where people live, bears will return again and again.

Bear-human conflicts
Most conflicts between bears and people happen when bears are attracted by smells and rewarded with an easy meal.
When bears pick up a scent with their keen noses, they will investigate it.

If rewarded with feasts of bird food, garbage or pet food, bears will return as long as the food source is available.

About attacks
Black bear attacks are extremely rare.

A black bear may attack if it:
• feels threatened
• is a predatory bear

Threatened bears
A bear may attack if it perceives you to be a threat to it, its cubs or it may be defending food - this is a defensive bear that wants more space between you and it.

Predatory bears
A predatory bear attack is very rare. 

These attacks usually occur in rural or remote areas.

Predatory bears approach silently, and may continue to approach regardless of your attempts to deter them by yelling or throwing rocks.

 





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