With the weekend upon us, cottagers and residents alike are being reminded to watch for bears.
Haliburton County is known to have bear sightings due to its highly forested landscape and proximity to food and water supplies the bears use. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, black bear density in our area is the second highest in all of Ontario.
Black bears can be attracted by any number of things, including pet food, bird feeders, ripe fruit, as well as garbage and recycling. In most cases, bears will find their way to these items through their acute sense of smell, so the Ministry suggests removing any fruit-bearing trees or shrubs, ensuring your garbage and recycling have a lid and are put away at night, and pet food is either brought in at night or placed in a sealed container.
The ministry also suggested that if the dry and hot weather continues the natural food sources for bears will be affected forcing them closer to humans to find their food sources. When hiking or travelling through forested areas, it is recommended that you travel in pairs or groups as bears are less likely to confront groups of humans.