Free food an attraction as bears 'all over town' in Cartwright

Residents of Cartwright say they are concerned about the number of recent bear sightings around town.

"It seems like they're getting closer and closer to the houses ... they're all over town," says Wanda Cabot, a lifelong resident. "There's bears on the highway. There's bears everywhere!"

Cabot herself has seen many bears around town — both on the roads and in people's yards.  She said it's a great concern for everybody, but especially for parents with small children, and pet owners.

"They're wild.  You don't know what they're going to do," Cabot added.

Cartwright, like many other coastal communities in Labrador, is no stranger to bear sightings.  But Cabot said that the number of bear sightings in the area seems to have dramatically increased over the decades.

"I didn't grow up with any bears around. It seems like to me there's more and more every year. My son is 20-odd-years-old, and he grew up with bears."

Cabot suggested that the increase in bear sightings may be related to the practice of feeding bears.  She also noted that many of the bears around town seem like young bears.

'Labrador is bear county'

John Pisapio, the senior wildlife biologist for Labrador at the Department of Wildlife and Conservation, says that Labrador is "bear country."

He explained to CBC's Labrador Morning that although the the number of bears in Labrador remains stable, the number of sightings depends on numerous factors, including summer conditions and the berry crop.

Most bears that visit communities are juvenile bears, said Pisapio. These juvenile bears are less familiar with their territory and less capable of securing food sources than the elder bears.

Hooked on food

 Also, in almost every single case, said Pisapio, bears that frequent a community do so because they have had a previous experience with food sources there and have grown used to it. 

"Unfortunately, intentional feeding of bears is common," said Pisapio.

"Bears that are fed become habituated. They essentially become hooked on those food resources. They make repeated visits to the same place … they typically lose their natural fear of people," he said.

"This is often misinterpreted as aggression, when it is actually just a bear getting used to a spot and a location and a food reward, and that's the root of most problems."

A bear that has been fed will come to associate people with food, and will often approach people for a handout, Pisapio explained, adding that bears, unlike wolves and coyotes, will visit the same food source again and again.

What to do if you see a bear

Pisapio said that if you should come across a bear, it is important to remain still.  Running from a bear may trigger a chase response. Instead of running, back slowly away from a bear.  Always face the animal, and make sure that you are not standing between a mother and her cub.

Also, learn to read the signs.

"Bears are pretty good at indicating their intentions to us," said Pisapio. Bears that are anxious or afraid may wave their head back and forth, stand up, vocalize, or swat at the ground.

"Unfortunately all those very types of behaviour are often misunderstood as aggression when in fact, that's a bear that wants to get out of the situation as much as you do."

Pisapo also said that under rare circumstances and in wild areas, large male bears may enter a "predatory" mode.  If a bear approaches very quietly, with its head down, and circles around you, it is important to remove yourself from the situation as soon as possible.