Bears are smart, curious, powerful and they do not like surprises. If you are a hiker, cyclist, jogger, berry picker or you plan to spend some time in bear country, learn to be Bear Wise to reduce your chances of an unwanted encounter.
2022-Jul-08
Practice Bear Wise Habits to Prevent Encounters
Tips to Avoid Encounters with Bears
When out and about:
- Bears have a keen sense of smell and excellent hearing however their eyesight is limited so it is important to make noise when you move through heavily wooded areas which will alert the bear to your presence
- Singing, whistling or talking will alert bears to your presence, giving them a chance to avoid you
- Keep your eyes and ears open for signs of a bear like tracks, claw marks on trees or droppings
- DO NOT wear headphones
- Be aware of your surroundings, especially if you are doing activities outside (i.e. hiking, jogging, cycling, gardening, berry picking or camping) where bears may not realize you are there
- If you are out with a dog, keep it on a leash. Uncontrolled, untrained dogs may actually lead a bear to you
While at the cottage:
- Store garbage in bear-resistant, airtight containers inside a storage area that is not accessible to bears
- Wash garbage containers and dumpsters frequently using a strong disinfectant to reduce odours
- Put out garbage on the morning of garbage collection – not the night before
- Keep pet food indoors
- Remove grease and food residue from barbecue grills, including the grease trap, after each use
- Put away bird feeders until the winter months
- Turn compost regularly and keep meat, fish or sweet foods like fruit out of your composter
- Keep meat and fish scraps in the freezer until garbage collection day
- Pick fruits and berries from trees as they ripen and from the ground
If You Do Encounter a Bear
Stop. Do not panic. Remain calm. Remember not every bear sighting is an emergency situation.
Remain calm – often the bear is just passing through, and will move on if no food source is found- Slowly back away while keeping the bear in sight
- If you are near a building or vehicle, get inside as precaution
- If a bear poses an immediate threat to personal safety, call 911
- If a bear is in a tree, leave it alone and remove other people and dogs from the area
- Keep away from the bear, and do not block its exit
- Tell others of its location and warn them to keep away, and bring children and pets indoors
- If near a building or car, get inside as a precaution
- Keep dogs on leash and away from bears
When to Report an Encounter
Call 911 if a bear poses an immediate threat to personal safety and exhibits threatening or aggressive behaviour, such as:
-
- stalks people and lingers at the site
- enters or tries to enter a residence
- wanders into a public gathering
- kills livestock/pets and lingers at the site
Call the toll-free Bear Wise reporting line at 1-866-514-2327 or TTY 705-945-7641 if a bear:
-
- roams around or checks garbage cans
- breaks into a shed where garbage or food is stored
- is in a tree
- pulls down a bird feeder or knocks over a barbecue
- moves through a backyard or field but does not linger
This line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from April 1 to November 30 and can provide advice on how to avoid human-bear encounters during bear season.
Visit ontario.ca/bearwise for more information.