Bear sightings more prevalent this year

Residents of Whitecourt see more and more black bears each day, either roaming on their acreages, along tree lines within town limits, and most recently, Chantelle Benjamin captured a bear on video running down Main Street.

Curtis English, District Fish and Wildlife Officer of the Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Branch mentioned this year is a record year of relocating bears and dealing with the many calls that have been coming into their office regarding bear sightings. English said, “the increase in bears this year is through no fault of residents, they seem to be everywhere. It’s unclear as to why but could be due to poor denning season or berries are not ripe enough in the forest for them. It has been a natural trend that every four to five years, we seem to reach a peak, and this year seems to be that peak where we are overly busy.”

Over the summer so far there’s been one or two bears that have been spotted daily within town limits. When the bears start getting into the garbage or public areas such as Rotary Park is when Fish and Wildlife tend to act a bit more. English added, “it’s fairly routine to have bears wander into town limits because we are on the edges of wooded forest and beside a river.” More common bear sightings have been around the boat launch, Sagitawah RV park, Camp in Town RV park, Millar Western, Rotary Park and the Whitecourt Golf Course and again it is due to these areas being located along the forest line and the river.

The black bears are a mix of cubs and yearlings with very few being sows with cubs. It’s usually just one bear. Someone’s impression of a big bear might be another’s impression of a little bear. We take all calls whether phoned in or gathered from social media and figured out the accuracy of them. For the most part, they are just sightings. Residents of Whitecourt have been very good at taking care of their garbage, and we don’t have to action due to this. Come fall when the crabapples are ready in people’s yards, it becomes more of a precautionary thing, especially around the hospital, that seems to be one of the hardest areas hit”. Again, English did want to reiterate, for the most part, it’s bears wandering.

Fish and Wildlife currently have two bear traps set up in the are with one or more being put in place August 15.

English would like to remind residents to stay away from any bear traps they come across. If the door is down, that means something is inside of the trap. It doesn’t mean momma bear is inside; it could be the cub which means momma bear may be nearby, which can be dangerous”. Bait used in the traps is usually a chunk of beaver and fish because they give off the most stench and is a natural food source for a bear. Bears have a sense of smell that spans about one mile so they will pick up the scent from the bear trap if they are near.

A few safety precautions to take during the bear season is when out walking avoid dusk and dawn time frames, walk with a friend, carry bear spray, keep your dog on a leash, and stay on the designated trails. “Should you encounter a bear, back away while talking to it and nine times out of 10 they will leave” said English.

Bears that are trapped are either released or euthanized based on its history. Fish and Wildlife have a policy that allows officers to euthanize reoffending problem bears. Problem bears are more defined as those that cause property damage or harm a pet. Once a bear is trapped, an ear tag is placed on them which identifies them. If caught again, officers know it was trapped previously and can base a decision for further action from there. “It’s difficult to relocate a habitual offending bear as space is limited on where to take them. We must consider the numerous tree planting camps, oilfield camps that are out in the bush, as well as the neighbouring towns. We don’t want to make it someone else’s problem or put humans at risk” stated English.

As for the little black bear that was spotted down main street, it was last seen heading into the bush towards Rotary Park and has not been seen since. English is aware of it and said it headed in the right direction back into the bush and has not caused any issues. “We don’t need to alarm the whole town. Residents can call the Report-A-Poacher number at 1-800-642-3800 if they spot a bear and when possible, advise the direction of where it headed.