Bear Sighting in Souther Ontario

[fishing n autograph]

Bear sighted on main drag of Elora

 

Record staff

Local

Posted 10:20 a.m.

 

 

ELORA—A young black bear decided to take a trip to town this morning.

 

Residents on Thomas Boulevard noticed the bear poking around their backyard shortly after 5:30 a.m. and called police.

 

Bear sightings aren’t unusual on the outskirts of Elora, but this one made its way right into the heart of the town.

 

“It’s right on the main drag—it’s all residential,” Ontario Provincial Police Const. Keith Robb said.

 

The bear appears to be young and weighs between 70 and 80 pounds, he said. It hasn’t shown any signs of aggression and appears to just be wandering around.

 

Police are following the bear and made a request to the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society to send up someone with a tranquillizer dart.

 

The bear was last sighted at Geddes Street and Avruskin Street, he said.

 

Police are warning people to stay clear of any bears that may wander into town and properly store all food and garbage that may attract the animals.

[BillM]

My parents had one in their backyard a few days ago rip down all the birdfeeders, lol

 

They have a place up in ColdWater.

[Rombo]

On the drive home last weekend i missed a 350 pounder with my truck by a few feet when he decided to cross hwy 11 at 7 pm, you should have seen him jump the median !!!

[Reef Runner]

Just looking for a meal after a long winter. I once shared a bag of Sour Cream and Onion with a 300pounder just outside of Parry Sound. More like I he scarred me away from my bag of chips and ate it while I sat in the car. lol

[shane]

I think that that the bears living in southern Ont. are generally smarter than your average bear. (Keep an eye on you picnic basket). I keep hearing about a couple of bears living in the Maitland R. valley that nobody has actually seen but have been positively ID'd by the droppings which are found regularly along the river by fishermen.

 

I think the smarter ones will probably do well down here.

Edited May 23, 2008 by fireball

[KyleM]

Ha, thats crazy.

I have friends that live on that street, Im gonna give them a call today.

I know over the years lots have been spotted out around Belwood/Grand Valley area.

[sconceptor]

Kincardine gets them each spring the past few or more years......young males roaming down from the Pennisula....looking for females and new homes without adult males near by

 

The Grennock Swamp(between Walkerton and Kincardine) is suppose to have a handfull since it's basically a long wooded corridor running from the pennisula way down south.....bears and big cats could live in it without people sightings..... from this bush they can make there way to a lot of Southern Ontario.

 

I was suprised to hear that people even try hunting bears on the Pennisula.....I thought bear hunting was just more of sort of a Muskoka's north thing........

[Spiel]

....That's it, I'm never leaving the house again.

[Sandbag]

In the last couple of summers, they have been spotted in Guelph and Georgetown areas.

 

Cheers

 

Craig

[Cookslav]

Yup...

There was one at Chicopee ski hill last year here in kitchener...it was ALL OVER the news LOL!

So if they don't mind walking the trails in K-town, why not do some window shopping in Elora

The bears are doing well down this way with VERY little hunting pressure, which definatly helps those populations to grow.

Me thinks we'll hear more of this as time goes by

[Muskieman]

Probably a practical joke from a Northerner !!! :clapping:

[Sinker]

Good thing they cancelled the spring bear hunt. I have them around my place too......just in the last few years. I'm gonna hunt them this fall. I'd like a nice rug

 

Sinker

[Garry2Rs]

I guess I don't count as Southern Ontario, because I'm more than two hours from T.O...grin.

Around my area we have them all the time. It was worst before they closed the dump.

One year, I had one that kept rolling my burning barrel over.

Another time, there was one that kept tearing the screen out of the back window.

I had dirty paw prints on the inside of the window frame...

That's one of the reasons I have dogs.

The bears aren't generally interested in trouble, just an easy meal.

The scent of the dogs and the barking, keep them away from the house...most times.

[Hookset]

Probably a practical joke from a Northerner !!! :clapping:

 

You hit the nail on the head.

Now that the GO train goes to Barrie it makes loading them a lot easier.

He was supposed to get off at union station though and help with the Canada Goose population at the waterfront.

 

 

Hookset.

[Canoe2fish]

Update:

 

Opp & MNR tried unsuccessfully to trap it and ended up making the decision to destroy it. It was reportedly sighted very close to Salem Public school so I'm guessing this was the reason they made the call. Funny how everyone around hear just bugs out when there's a sighting. I do agree with the schools keeping the kids indoors during the investigation though. This was once Black bear territory as well as the Eastern Mountain Lion or Puma, which I understand is on a bit of a comeback.

[Guest skeeter99]

I have seen then just north of oshawa, ruuning my atv on the e107 trail

 

there are a tonne of them in blackstock and a couple of families living near the dump on shirley road(south of ceasearea)

[Greencoachdog]

Pepper spray 'im!!!

[fishing n autograph]

Pepper spray 'im!!!

 

 

Is that your answer for everything?????

[Canoe2fish]

Pepper spray 'im!!!

 

My wife never leaves home without it. I bought it for the farm & coy-dogs that run around here.

[Cookslav]

Coydogs are more dangerous then that bear for sure....

I had a run in years ago in the winter of 99'

Taking garbage out to the Dumpster at a restaurant I was working forin Terra Cotta, by George town....they came RUNNING out from the bush and got reeeeely aggressive, bareing teeth the whole nine yards.

 

I dropped the garbage and said have at 'er boys and walked away s-l-o-w-l-y, and then very fast

New company policy came out the next day.

Garbage goes out in the morning light.

 

We told the story to one of the locals in the Pub one night, and he said they were having issues with some very bold critters, but the municipality was planning on taking care of it...

 

Don't know if they ever did or not, As I took a new job that January.

[Mattones]

I have only seen bears at a dump.. I dunno where as i was only 6 years old. Since then i have always wanted to see one in the wild.

 

Last year camping I was sleeping and my girlfriend and her sister came running in waking me up saying a bear was looking through the window at them.. When i got there it was already gone.

[Sinker]

I have seen then just north of oshawa, ruuning my atv on the e107 trail

 

there are a tonne of them in blackstock and a couple of families living near the dump on shirley road(south of ceasearea)

 

 

You got that right!! A friend of mine has bee hives up on Mosport Rd. He shot a 300lber last fall that was into his hives. I've got permission to "protect" them now . Hopefully, I'll get my first this fall!

 

Also have buddy who ran into a 200lber in Pontypool.

 

They're all over this area now.

 

Sinker

[Cookslav]

FYI...

 

Bear was shot in Salem Friday Afternoon...

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/331976

http://news.therecord.com/article/355326