Police responding to increased calls relating to bear activity

The Thunder Bay Police Service has responded to several calls relating to bears in recent weeks in areas throughout the city.

Here are some important things to remember:

• Do not feed bears.
• Keep food waste in secure containers.
• Keep a safe distance from bears.
• If you encounter a bear, slowly back away while keeping it in sight.
• If a bear is in a tree, do not surround it.

Not every bear encounter is an emergency.

Calls to police should be made in situations where a bear poses an immediate safety threat or is displaying aggressive or threatening behaviour.

For non-emergency encounters, call the Ministry of Natural Resource's Bear Wise line at 1-866-514-2327.

More information about Bear Safety can be found here: https://www.ontario.ca/.../prevent-bear-encounters-bear-wise