When you arrive in a new community, it takes a bit of adjusting, and you have a lot to learn—language, customs, how to get around, and things you should be mindful of.
Muskoka is the third most populated area in Canada for black bears, and last week, newcomers to the area were taught about bear behaviour and how to coexist peacefully with them.
YMCA English as a Second Language Teacher Joanne Lea organized a special presentation for her students. Josh Porter, a self-professed bear lover who works for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, shared his knowledge with students from Chile, Cuba, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Thailand who have come to call this area home.
He urged students not to feed the bears and to keep their garbage indoors until collection day. He told them not to tempt bears with the smell of food, to clean barbecues well, and to avoid putting up bird feeders in summer.
If they did encounter a bear, he told them not to make eye contact with it, to make lots of noise, to stretch their arms out and make themselves look big, and to slowly and carefully back away without turning their backs to the bear.
One of the students wanted to know if playing dead was an option should the bear be on top of you. Porter said only if the bear has cubs; otherwise, “Fight like hell,” he told the wide-eyed student.
Another student told Porter that a bear got into their garbage. Much to his chagrin, Porter told the student to expect more visits from that bear because bears have good memories and remember where the food was. This is also why the MNRF no longer traps and relocates bears; they just return. He also said they can smell food from a couple of kilometres away, about seven times more than a bloodhound.
Porter explained a bear’s feast and famine cycle. They live off of the food they eat and store in their fat over the summer months to get them through winter.
When asked if he carries a firearm when called about nuisance bears, Porter said that’s the police’s role. When there is an emergency related to a nuisance bear, the first point of contact is police, and the MNRF will assist, said Porter.
He said people can carry a canister of bear spray if they encounter a bear while walking in the bush. If a bear gets close, they can spray it in their eyes and nose. A bear horn and its loud noise also worsk as a deterrent.
Students were thankful for the presentation.
More information is available at ontario.ca/bearwise.
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