Thunder Bay Police Service officers have responded to six nuisance bear reports in the past three months, and two of those reports have resulted in dead bears.
The two incidents where the bears were killed happened in May and June. Police took over the responsibility of handling nuisance bear calls after the Ministry of Natural Resources scrapped the Bear Wise program in May.
Unlike the MNR’s conservation officers, police are not trained to use tranquilizer weapons to subdue a bear.
Police spokeswoman Const. Julie Tilbury said the policy city police have when dealing with bears is to call a sergeant as well as the force’s emergency task unit and containment members.
Those officers are trained to use shotguns when dealing with bears who may pose a safety risk to the public, she said.
“What officers are supposed to do is if they come into a situation where there is a bear they are determining if public safety is at risk,” Tilbury said.
“Usually when we come across a bear call, a sergeant is notified immediately. Every situation is different. It’s like any situation a police officer may encounter. If there is an immediate threat to public safety they will deal with that issue.”
A few weeks ago, OPP in Balmertown received a call about a bear. The Kenora Daily Minor reported police fired four shots with two of those passing through the animal. One of the bullets ended up in a garage and the other ricochet into a nearby home.
OPP spokeswoman Shelley Garr couldn’t comment on that specific incident, but said police have to do what they feel is best when dealing with a situation that could pose a threat to the public’s safety.
She said all OPP officers are trained to use a shotgun, a rifle and pistols but not specifically trained to handle bears.
“In terms of public safety we sometimes have to use deadly force to put down these bears,” Garr said.
“The situation would dictate how an officer would respond. We are taught use of force and the requirement to use a firearm. Normally with an aggressive bear we have no other option. We don’t have tranquilizers that we can use.”
Garr said that bear related calls have gone up since the Bear Wise program was scrapped but couldn’t give any specific numbers.
She added that MNR technicians do sometimes assist in trying to subdue bears but only in locations where they have them stationed.
