The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and OPP are advising residents to avoid human-bear interaction this spring.
They say that when bears wake up after their long sleep, they are hungry and might show up on your property to see if you can help them out.
The MNRF says that in order to prevent bears from visiting, homeowners should put their garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids and should take their waste out the morning of the pickup. Other tips they give is to clean food residue and grease from outdoor BBQ grills after each use and keep pet food indoors.
They add that bears will remember where their last source of food was and will travel up to 100kilometres to return.
Even though bears are not necessarily a threat, it’s important to know who to call. They suggest calling the toll-free Bear Wise reporting line at 1-866-514-2327.
Written by Devon Jolander