The Canadian representative for an international animal advocacy organization is calling for the full reinstatement of Ontario’s Bear Wise program.
The Ministry of Natural Resources was forced to turn the trap and release program into a hotline number when funding was cut.
Barry MacKay with Born Free says the hotline is not enough to educate the public on how to prevent conflict with bears, forcing people and police to take matters into their own hands.
He says police aren’t bear experts and aren’t properly trained to deal with a nuisance bear.
MacKay says catch and release programs produce a net reduction in bears, because they teach residents how to keep the animals from coming back.
He adds the spring bear hunt will not help control black bear populations.
MacKay says bears removed in the spring are not necessarily, or in many cases even likely, to be the ones that are going to get into a conflict situation with people.
It’s been widely reported that bear calls to police in the north have increased in the last year.
