Bear traps are a common method of relocation. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

co-existing

Bear sightings in La Ronge tied to food availability: biologist

Jul 27, 2021 | 5:00 PM

Bears have conservation officers busy in the La Ronge area as three live traps are currently deployed in an effort to manage them.

“Bears really are an animal that are very much ruled by their stomach,” said Matthew Tokaruk, a black bear biologist with the Ministry of Environment. “Getting enough calories throughout the summer is critical for them to survive hibernation, so they are going to seek out food sources where they can find them.”

Tokaruk believes the rise in local bear sighting is due to bears looking for easy access to food. He explained garbage cans, barbecues and bird seed can all lure bears from the forest.

Bears entering a community is directly tied to natural food availability in the immediate area such a berries. Tokaruk said although there can be localized increases or decreases in the bear population, they are rather slow to reproduce.

“Bear populations are very slow to change over time, so overall provincially, we would say the population of black bears is stable,” he said. “The amount of nuisance bears or bears getting into trouble in town doesn’t really have a strong correlation to the bear population. That’s really a response to food availability.”

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Tokaruk mentioned people in La Ronge can help alleviate the situation by managing attractant in their yard. That could mean not leaving garbage out on the street through the night, ensuring barbecues are clean and putting away any unused bird seed.

“There’s always going to be the odd nuisance bear,” he said. “It’s just the nature of living in La Ronge to a degree.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno