Bear prowls city streets; Animal paws through garbage
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer....ontent.asp?contentID=91015&catname=Local+News
DON PEAT
Local News - Thursday, June 29, 2006 @ 09:00
Residents of Redwood Court in the city's southwest end are surprised and worried after a bear sighting Monday night.
Police were called just before midnight to the neighbourhood, located just off Brealey Drive, north of Lansdowne Street West, when the bear was spotted in a backyard.
Trevor Davies lives at the end of the street and was watching television in his basement when he heard the garbage can of squirrel feed knocked over behind his house.
When he looked out the glass sliding door that led to his backyard he came face to snout with the bear that had knocked it over.
"It was such a surprise," said Davies, a retired real estate appraiser, in an interview yesterday.
"A bear was the last thing you'd expect."
But a bear it was.
A black bear with long ears that he estimated weighed about 70 kilograms.
Based on that description, Ministry of Natural Resources officials told Davies the bear was probably a year old.
The same can had been knocked over Sunday night, said Davies who thought it was caused by a pair of large raccoons.
Davies' house backs onto a wooded area with a creek running through it.
Full of mature trees, Davies' backyard has lots of wildlife - everything from doves, blue jays, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons and skunks - but in 26 years of living there he said he's never seen a bear.
The animal ran under a nearby apple tree when Davies came to the window but then came back to the food.
City police were called to the scene.
"Police responded almost immediately," Davies said.
Two city police cruisers arrived at his house and the officers, armed with
Tasers and a shotgun, found the animal in the woods and contacted Ministry of Natural Resources officials, he said.
The ministry visited the neighbourhood early Tuesday night and placed a large bear trap beside Davies house.
A green, steel trailer with an open door, the trap is designed to lure the bear inside and then close shut, allowing officials to remove and release the bear.
After seeing the bear, Davies warned neighbours on both sides of his house that the animal was in the area.
Neighbours of the residential street remain worried.
"I'm concerned about the bear because we have young children on the street," said Joanne Newhook, who lives in the house beside Davies. "I'd rather they catch and relocate the bear as opposed to it just disappearing."
The MNR's Bear Wise program, meanwhile, has some tips for homeowners on keeping bears at bay:
- Put garbage out on the morning of garbage day and not the night before.
- Do not leave pet food outdoors.
- Thoroughly clean outdoor grills after use.
- Fill bird feeders only through the winter months.
- Do not put meat, fish or sweet food (including fruit) in your composter.
- Keep meat scraps in the freezer until garbage pickup day.
- Pick all ripe fruit off trees, and remove vegetables and fallen fruit from the ground.
- Use electric fencing to protect valuable trees, orchards, vegetable and berry patches.
What to do if you encounter a bear that's aggressive:
- Slowly back away, watching the bear.
- If the bear tries to approach you, stop. Be aggressive, yell, throw rocks or sticks and use pepper spray if you have it. Never turn and run.
- If the bear continues to approach you, resume backing away slowly while continuing to be aggressive towards the bear.
- If a bear makes contact with you, do not play dead. Fighting back is the best chance of persuading a black bear to stop its attack. Use a large stick, a rock or anything else that you have on hand to hurt the bear.
In an emergency: Contact your local police force or dial 911
To report bear problems: Call the Ministry of Natural Resources Bear Reporting Line at 1-866-514-2327 or (TTY) 705 945-7641.
dpeat@peterboroughexaminer.com
