Alberta Fish and Wildlife is asking Athabascans to store garbage indoors and take down bird feeders after receiving almost 40 reports of black bear sightings in the area this past month.
District fish and wildlife officer Adam Jalbert said in an email the local office has received about 20 reports of black bear sightings within the Town of Athabasca over the month, and between 15 and 20 reports in Athabasca County. He also said in an email Aug. 26 fish and wildlife had removed three bears from town since Aug. 23, and bird feeders had been their main attractant.
“The number of reports of sightings and human-wildlife conflict is higher than usual,” he stated, adding in a phone conversation that bears were “everywhere.”
Fish and wildlife officer Adam Jalbert said in an email the department had removed three black bears from town since Friday. “Bird feeders were the main attractant for all of them,” he wrote. “I watched one bear hoist itself onto a precarious tree limb just to reach a small bird feeder.”
“Although it appears as though black bear populations are currently higher than previous years, in discussion with our colleagues at Alberta Environment and Parks, higher reports of human-wildlife conflict involving bears typically coincide with a decrease in natural food source availability,” he stated in the email.
Athabasca resident Greg Aasen said a bear was in his yard on Old High School Hill Aug. 20 after coming up through the ravine. He said he had never seen a bear there before, and it was his startled house guest who first spotted it.
“He just walked through the yard and away he went,” he said. “He walked through it, that’s it. He didn’t stop to sniff; he didn’t stop to cough.”
Greg’s wife, Bernice Aasen, said it came across the street, came beside her car and beside the garage.
“That’s the first ever bear I’ve seen this year, too,” she said, noting that fish and wildlife told her this bear had been in her area for about three days. “It was shocking to see one in the neighbourhood. It just doesn’t happen … We’ve seen coyotes. We’ve seen a fox, a moose, deer all the time. Never ever have I seen a bear.”
Bernice Aasen snapped this shot of a bear as it romped through her yard Aug. 20. She said she had never seen a bear in her neighbourhood before.
Jalbert wrote in the email that Pine Grove Estates on the north of the river is a popular spot for bears.
“It is a natural travel corridor with an abundance of natural food sources for bears, such as blueberry and sasaktoon bushes,” he stated.
Jalbert he also stated that earlier this month, a local black bear wandered into town and began to show “negative learned behavior that could have been avoided.” He stated it was first spotted along Muskeg Creek feeding on saskatoon berries.
“Unfortunately, some attractants have not been managed and the bear has learned to associate human habitat as an easy place to obtain food,” he wrote.
“We’ve received reports that the bear is now visiting houses during the night and looking specifically for bird feed,” he continued. “Most recently, the bear was spotted near High School Hill walking into an open garage overnight and knocking over a garbage can containing a bag of sunflower seeds. The bear consumed most of the seed before wandering over to the next residence.”
Jalbert said officers have two traps set up within town limits to capture that specific bear.
He added Fish and Wildlife monitored the bear’s activity and provided information to the nearby residents on how to avoid potential conflicts, asking residents to keep garbage cans in sheds or garages until the morning of garbage pick-up and stop using bird feeders until later in October.
He stated there are a few steps residents can take to keep bears out of their yards:
- Residents should store garbage in bear-resistant and odour-proof containers or buildings.
- Any possible attractants should be cleaned up and removed as soon as possible, if not immediately, to avoid habituation of bears and other wildlife.
- Pet food should never be left outside or stored in areas accessible to bears.
- Residents should clean barbecues and outdoor eating areas after use.
- Gardens and fruit-bearing trees or shrubs also attract bears, and should be properly maintained or removed.
“In general, improperly stored garbage is the most common cause of human-bear conflicts,” he wrote. “As residents, we need to make sure that the necessary precautions are taken to manage attractants in our properties.”
“I don’t need to see it come back,” Bernice Aasen said.
