FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — Officials on Fort William First Nation are taking additional steps to deal with the increasing number of nuisance bear encounters in the community this summer.
Live traps are now being deployed in specific problem areas.
The measure follows an appeal to residents last month to refrain from using unsafe methods of deterring bears, such as electrifying garbage containers.
In a notice to the community, bylaw and security supervisor Wyatt Bannon said the mobile traps are effective for humanely capturing and relocating bears.
But he also cautioned residents to avoid approaching traps, and to instruct their children to stay clear as well.
Bannon said if a cub is caught in a trap, its mother may well be somewhere nearby.
The First Nation's leadership is also reminding people to put their garbage out only on the morning of the scheduled pickup day, to keep their barbecues clean, and to retrieve any fallen fruit from apple trees.
It said nuisance bears could remain an issue in the community into late October or early November.
