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