The Ontario Provincial Police in the northeast reminds the public to be Bear Wise to reduce the occurrence of human-bear interactions.
Bears have awakened from winter hibernation and in spring are faced with scarcity of natural food sources. Please consider the following tips to prevent an unwanted visit by bears foraging for food by:
- Storing garbage in waste containers with tight-fitting lids
- Only putting the garbage out the morning of pickup
- Limit filling bird feeders only during the winter when bears are hibernating
- Cleaning food residue and grease from outdoor barbecue grills after each use
- Keep pet food indoors.
The community of Kapuskasing has already had a visit from a small bear cub that was without the mother, therefore was relocated to an animal sanctuary.
For Non-Emergency Bear Situations – Call 1-866-514-2327 Emergency Bear Situations – Call 9-1-1 or your local police service if a bear poses an immediate threat to personal safety by exhibiting threatening or aggressive behaviour.