Persistent bears pester daycare in Sudbury

Black bears have become troublesome guests for a New Sudbury daycare operator.

Despite calling the Sudbury police, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and following the steps outlined in the 'Bear Wise' program, Dianne Morelli, operator of the daycare, said the bears have become more comfortable  — and persistent — visiting the Gary Avenue location.

"Two years now that [the bears] have pushed down our fence, our neighbour's fence," Morelli said, "they ate our hot tub cover twice now. They completely destroyed our neighbour across the street's hot tub cover. They had to get new ones as well. So it's like thousands of dollars of damage in the last couple of years."

The number of bears has increased, as well. But with most neighbours gone to work for the day, the bears' increased presence often goes unnoticed, Morelli said.

Compounding the issue is the number of children who are often outside. She lives near an elementary school, and the bears don't seem deterred by the noisy schoolyard.

"At 3 o'clock, there's kids up and down the street, and three bears are in my back yard playing," Morelli said. 

Morelli even managed to film a black bear playing on her backyard slide.

Morelli said it's not uncommon for her to round up the kids in her daycare and rush them inside at first sight of the bears.

"So far nobody else is going through what I'm going through right now," Morelli said, "other neighbours are not mostly home during the day, right, because they're outside working. But they're not even aware of the issue. And it's all times of the day."

In September, a black bear was found dead in a nearby area from a gun wound, police said.

And just last week, a video of four black bears in a New Sudbury pear tree was posted online.