| Black Bear Chase | | | | Bad, because campers will need to keep a keen |
| | | | eye for nuisance bears. Now nuisance bear |
| Peddling as fast as my aching legs could | | | | complaints are the norm. |
| move, I came to an abrupt stop. My shocked | | | | |
| eyes followed the big black bear as it veered | | | | Bear Control |
| off the old brush road into the dark forest, | | | | |
| just a few feet in front of me. | | | | Some municipalities have now hired |
| | | | bear-control officers, but many |
| Camping With My Friends | | | | municipalities cannot afford this. |
| | | | |
| It was early summer. A couple of friends of | | | | Without trained staff, municipalities must |
| mine and myself had just finished a week end | | | | rely on law enforcement officers, with no |
| camping and fishing trip at one of our | | | | background in bear management, to respond to |
| favorite lakes in the area, where we lived. | | | | nuisance bear complaints. |
| | | | |
| As I can remember it was a very long bike | | | | One day the Ontario government will come to |
| ride, even for three 14 year old boys. | | | | their senses and bring back the spring Black |
| | | | Bear hunt again. |
| Bear Country | | | | |
| | | | The Bear Facts |
| The road we took to get there and back hadn't | | | | |
| seen any traffic for a few years. It was a | | | | The black bear is also seen in other colour |
| good bet we would run into something back | | | | phases, chocolate and cinnamon brown are also |
| there. | | | | common. |
| | | | |
| Sure enough I did, my buddies missed out on | | | | Black bears can reach weights of up to 700 |
| all the excitement, they had trailed behind | | | | lbs. |
| and missed out. | | | | |
| | | | Black bears roam a very large area even as |
| Spring Bear Hunt | | | | much as 500 square miles. |
| | | | |
| Since that time I've seen many a black bear | | | | Black bears have been know to run as fast as |
| in the Ontario Northland of Canada. | | | | a horse. |
| | | | |
| With the cancellation of the annual spring | | | | A bear can bite through a tree as big around |
| black bear hunt, I expect to see many more of | | | | as a person's arm. |
| these magnificent animals. | | | | |
| | | | Litter size may range from one to five cubs, |
| Black Bear Population | | | | but two is average. |
| | | | |
| For the tourists, this is good and bad news, | | | | Male black bears regularly kill and eat bear |
| for the Northern Ontario resident, just bad. | | | | cubs in the spring; biologists say as many as |
| Ontario has a growing black bear population | | | | 50% of bear cubs lose their lives this way |
| that is one of the largest in the world. | | | | each year. |
| | | | |
| Bears In Politics | | | | Life span in the wild is 20 to 25 years. |
| | | | Mother black bears have not been known to |
| The spring black bear hunt was cancelled in | | | | attack in defence of its cubs. |
| 1999 in a pre-election move. The thought was | | | | |
| that the government's decision would reduce | | | | A large number of fatal bear attacks in |
| the number of orphaned cubs. | | | | Ontario have occurred in areas not open to |
| | | | hunting. |
| The number of orphaned cubs in shelters rose. | | | | |
| | | | As a tourist, I enjoy the site of seeing one |
| Happy Tourists | | | | of nature's rare sights. As a resident, black |
| | | | bears are seen, heard and feared all too |
| Residents now have to put up with nuisance | | | | often. |
| bears. Too many for their liking. The | | | | |
| tourists have good news because they will get | | | | The black bears future depends on how well |
| a better chance at seeing one. | | | | Ontario Northland residents understand manage |
| | | | and tolerate them. |