Saturday, July 20, 2013

Province's Black Bear Population Increasing

The number of black bears in the province is growing, and one scientist says the upswing is directly related to the economic downtown across the border.

Kevin Craig, a wildlife biologist for the Department of Natural Resources says because of the financial conditions in the United States, fewer Americans are taking trips to the province to hunt the bears. Craig says the decrease in visiting hunters and more habitat has led to their numbers ballooning to 17,000 in the last few years.

There's been an increase in bear sightings in residential areas, however, Craig says people can reduce the number of encounters with bears by not leaving out garbage and bird feeders at night. To re-locate them, the Department of Natural Resources has set many live-traps in a variety of areas.