Hungry bears spotted in Rainy River

By Ken Johnston
Editor

While humans have been enjoying a nice hot summer, with very little rain until recently, the wild berry population was not.
With few wild berries, especially blue-berries, there are a lot of hungry bears out looking for food. And with fall approaching fast, they are getting desperate for food.
In the past week or so there have been reports of numerous bears in Rainy River. Here are some tips to help reduce bears visiting your house.
•Eliminate odors by putting garbage in containers with tight fitting lids. Do not put the garbage out until the morning of pick-up (not the night before). Try to store garbage in bear-resistant containers or indoors (i.e. in a shed or garage).
•Put meat scraps in the freezer until the day of garbage pick-up.
•Bears can also be attracted to things like bird feed. It is recommended that people only fill feeders in the winter months when bears are hibernating.
•After cooking on the bbq be sure to clean the grill and empty the grease catcher after every use.
•When considering what trees to plant, avoid planting ones that bears may be attracted to. Some examples include apple, oak or mountain ash trees.
If you do have fruit trees pick all the ripe fruit off as soon as possible.
•Avoid putting meat or sweet foods in your composter.
What to do if you encounter a bear in your neighbourhood
While every encounter with a bear is unique there are some common steps to take when you cross paths with one.
•Never approach the bear to get a better look.
•Do not attempt to feed a bear.
•Anticipate and avoid encounters.
•Stay calm. Often bears are just passing through.
•Do not run away. Walk towards a building or vehicle and get inside. Once inside observe the bear safely to see if it went away. Be sure to look and see what it is eating. Once it is gone remove the attractant so it does not find food if it returns.
•Encourage the bear to leave by banging pots and pans or blowing an air horn. The more stressful the encounter is the less likely the bear is to come back.
•If you have done everything to remove the attractants and the bear keeps coming back call MNR’s bearwise line at 1-866-514-2327 or if the bear is damaging your property, breaking into your home or threatening your personal safety or that of others call 911.
If a bear is treed leave it alone, remove people and dogs from the area. The bear will usually come down and leave when it feels safe.
With all the reports of bears in Rainy River recently it is a good idea not to leave pets or children unsupervised in the yard.