In Thunder Bay, Jeff Tiboni encountered a black bear under a tree in his neighbor’s yard while doing some work outside his house. Tiboni attempted to deter the bear by setting off a bear banger, but the bear quickly returned to the apple trees nearby. This year has seen an increase in bear sightings compared to previous years, with bears moving from apples to scavenging from garbage cans as a food source.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) explains that bears are currently in hyperphagia, a phase before hibernation where they spend most of their time eating to store energy. Bears can consume up to 20,000 calories a day during this period. Micheline Mamone, the MNR provincial coordinator for human-wildlife management, highlighted that bears are attracted to apple trees in late summer and fall when the fruit is ripe due to the need to bulk up for hibernation.
Fluctuations in natural food sources like berries, acorns, and nuts in bear habitats often lead to increased bear sightings. This year, a poor berry crop has driven bears into residential areas in search of food. Bears are drawn to urban and residential areas by food sources such as garbage, bird feeders, compost, pet food, and fruit trees.
Residents are advised to take steps to reduce bear attractants, such as promptly picking ripe fruit from trees, storing garbage in secure containers, limiting bird feeders to winter months, feeding pets indoors, and cleaning barbecue grills thoroughly. These measures can significantly reduce the likelihood of attracting bears to residential areas.
If encountering a bear, non-emergency situations should be reported to the Bear Wise reporting line, while emergency encounters should be reported to local authorities. Collaboration among neighbors in managing properties to minimize attractants is crucial in preventing bear conflicts in residential areas.
Thunder Bay residents are encouraged to dispose of apples and yard waste during designated fall collection periods to further mitigate bear attractants. It is essential for the community to work together to ensure a bear-safe environment in residential neighborhoods.