Huntsville town council welcomed a guest speaker from the Ministry of Natural Resources at its last general committee meeting to discuss the bear sightings in town.
The decrease of natural foods in rural areas is “the single largest explanatory factor” as to why the bears have been entering populated areas, Micheline Mamone explained during the meeting.
She is the provincial co-ordinator for human-wildlife interactions at the MNR and oversees the Bear Wise program, which focuses on prevention, education and awareness.
In 2023, calls to the Bear Wise reporting line were down, likely due to an abundance of berries and other rural crops, which kept bears out of urban areas.
“They have to get that food in order to fatten up to survive for hibernation, and if it’s unavailable in the forest, then they start travelling wildly in search of food sources,” she said.
This year, there have been over 600 calls to Bear Wise offices in Minden, Bracebridge and Parry Sound, which service Muskoka communities. In 2022, calls peaked at just under 700.
With summer berries finished, Mamone said, bears have likely moved on to fall food sources like beechnuts and acorns. However, wild food scarcity can drive the bears into populated areas.
The most effective strategy to avoid human/bear contact is to simply restrict their access to outdoor food sources: lock up garbage and waste, clear fruit trees, take down bird feeders and so on.
Mamone said the town could implement bylaws that restrict the disposal of food waste at establishments to bear-proof metal containers, which may keep the bears at bay.
“You may still have bears that come and check out that smell, but if they return a couple of times and they don’t get any food, they’re not going to return anymore because it’s a waste of their time and energy,” she said.
According to the MNR, bear attacks are rare, but it’s still important to know the difference between defensive and predatory bears.
MNR offered its input and comments on drafting bylaws if Huntsville council wishes to move forward with restrictions on food waste and bear-proof bins.
Mamone also said MNR staff are offering to attend Huntsville community events with outreach resources for the community.
Visit the Ontario MNR website for more information and report any bear sightings to their non-emergency line at 1-866-514-2327.
Megan Hederson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Huntsville and Lake of Bays. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
