Bear sightings seem to be cropping up more and more in Southern Alberta.

Locally, the Town of Okotoks notified residents of a black bear sighting earlier this week (Sept 15.), and Staff Sgt. Laura Akitt with Turner Valley RCMP listed a grizzly sighting on Sept. 13 in the latest Mountie Moments newsletter.

Mark Hoskin, District Fish & Wildlife Officer for Cochrane, confirms reports have increased.

"We've seen a 32 per cent increase in calls relative to bears so far this year, compared to the entire year last year."

As for why, he says there's no one factor that seems to be causing the increased activity.

Hoskin posits that the berry crop wasn't very strong this year, though he didn't contribute that to this year's heat and droughts, instead describing it as cyclical in nature.

The time of year does seem to be playing a role in their recent activity, however.

"The bears, of course, are looking for the easy food right now, before they go for their long winter nap."

Luckily, there haven't been any issues with aggressive bears in the region, though their behavioural patterns can be unpredictable, especially when it comes to food.

Hoskin says the best thing to do is remove any attractants like fruit or birdseed in yards.

Seed, in particular, can be problematic even if it's raised out of reach since birds often dislodge seeds from feeders which then fall to the floor.

Reports often come with requests to remove bears, says Hoskin.

He says that's usually a last resort.

"Oftentimes the public can see darting or trapping a bear as an easy solution, but actually for the bears, it's not the best solution. There can be a low survival rate when you're moving a bear. With regard to darting it, there's a lot of things that can not go perfectly in that we don't know what's going on inside the bear, so the bear can die of something called capture myopathy."

There can also be issues with relocating bears because disputes can break out with territorial bears already in the region.

As was the case with the recent sighting in Okotoks, bears don't usually settle in suburban areas and are usually on their way in due time.

If you do see a bear, you can report it to Alberta Fish & Wildlife at (403) 652-8330 or the local RCMP detachment.

 

Send us your news tips, story ideas and comments at news@highriveronline.com