Recent bear sightings in the city of Yellowknife are a reminder that “bears can just be anywhere” in the N.W.T. And wth bear sightings on the rise across the N.W.T., the department of the Environment issued a formal notice that bears are “active” and encouraged folks to take steps to respect bear space and keep safe.
“Seeing bears on our landscape is very normal up here. We live in bear country and we don’t have highly developed cities with lots of people and lots of infrastructure. We have really nice green spaces and our green spaces butt up to where our communities are and bears like to spend time there. Bears love to spend time in areas where there’s water, where there’s food,” said Abbey Wilson, who is a carnivore biologist with GNWT’s Environment and Climate Change.
When out in bear country, time is also dictated by bears, beginning in August, bears in the North are getting ready to hibernate.
“So for about the next couple of months, they’re going to be bulking up and getting ready for that part of their life,” said Wilson.
Not to mention a notable berry crop this year, “so bears are probably munching on those,” added Wilson.
In other words, bears are a lot like humans, they are just looking for resources to survive and thrive on the land. And like us, they are generally trying to avoid encounters.
Wilson spoke with True North FM about bear behaviour in a place where these fascinating creatures live and move much closer among us than we might realize.
Various elements can influence what a bear might perceive and their behaviour – that includes how humans behave on the land and how humans might respond to bears.
Wilson says there are different opinions on how grizzly bears might behave versus black bears, which are more common in N.W.T. Wilson says that in her experience, the species of bear is not a major factor.
Grizzly bears, like other bears, will aggressively defend their cubs if they perceive any threat.
“Females with cubs are pretty wary and are risk-averse, I would say they want to stay out of the way. They don’t want to be seen,” added Wilson.
“They’re usually going to defend their cubs. If you run into a sow and cubs,” said Wilson.
While female bears can be aggressive in certain situations, Wilson says it’s young male bears who are usually the most prone to running into trouble, as females are generally not willing to take the same risks that sub-adult males would be willing to take.
“Some adult males are often challenging the territories and food resources of bigger dominant males, so we see those getting into trouble more often than other age classes.”
Food can influence a bear’s perception of a situation and their behaviour.
“If they are on a kill or have something really valuable on them, then they’re going to defend that,but for the most part, bears are just trying to stay away from you and not encounter you,” emphasized Wilson.
If a bear perceives a threat, they may take an aggressive stance, these are sometimes called “predatory attacks.”
“That’s when you really want to fight back and get big and make yourself, say ‘I’m big enough that you can’t take me down,’ but I would say the majority of encounters with bears are just either the Bears trying to get away,” explained Wilson.
The key is to give the bears a lot of space, advised Wilson.
“Give them a way out because they don’t want to interact with you.”
Bears have a keen sense of smell, so another way to avoid getting face-to-face with a curious bear is by keeping “downwind.”
“Because you just want to keep the bear from smelling you. You just want to make sure the wind is not carrying your scent towards the bear, so you want to be downwind so the wind would be blowing on you so that your scent is travelling away from the bear,” explained Wilson.
In case of an encounter, it’s important to relax and just step back.
“You want to stay calm, keep your distance. You want to back away quietly, speak calmly and do not run,” said Wilson.
Because there is no guaranteed way to predict how a bear might respond.
“You also want to have your bear spray ready. You always want to carry a deterrent on you, whether that’s a bear horn, bear bangers, bear spray.”
Something people overlook is having the deterrent “handy,” and Wilson advises not to tuck it away in a backpack, but keep it somewhere it can be reached easily and quickly. It’s also important folks know how to use the deterrent.
“They sell inert bear spray. So if you wanted to practise spraying something that’s non-toxic, you can, just so that you have an idea of how the wind will change the direction of it,” advises Wilson.
Recognizing ways that might be “inviting” bears and avoiding those human behaviours can go a long way.
“Making sure that we take responsibility for our garbage and our food waste, especially when we’re out on the land or if we’re at campsites,” urged Wilson.
Because bears are also trying to avoid encounters, other things folks can do is travel in groups and make noise while on trails to give bears notice. It’s also a good idea to keep pets on a leash. Wilson explains these are simple but effective ways to respect bears’ territory and keep safe.
Another strategy is to proactively keep a lookout for bears by watching out “fresh bear signs.”
Depending on environmental conditions, there are a few things folks may be able to spot, like bear tracks in mud or sand.
“Depending on the weather conditions, those are be easier or harder to see,” Wilson points out.
Another telltale sign – “bear scat.”
“If you see the droppings of bears, they usually have berries in them or like a dark brown colour,” said Wilson.
Bears like to use their claws to scratch trees to communicate with other bears to mark their territory or to attract mates. They also like to rub their fur on trees to groom off loose fur.
“So those (signs) are a little bit harder to see, but you’ll be able to see very clear claw marks or scratch marks on the trees,” said Wilson.
If you do happen to run into a bear, Wilson advises reporting it to the regional wildlife department or emergency line.
“We’re always trying to think of ways to monitor them and get more information, and how to best manage them. It’s an ongoing work here and we’re learning more every day,” said Wilson.
In the North there is a lack of food availability in comparison to places more south. Lack of food availability means the population of bears is lower and the density of bears is lower. Lack of food availability also has other affects on bear behaviour in N.W.T.
“Availability is kind of the key driver of what bears in general will tolerate. From work that’s been done and just observational data in B.C. and other places where there’s a really high salmon run and their food availability is very high and very secure, bears tend to be more tolerant of humans and of other bears because they’re not defending a food resource. And so the difference I think up here is our food availability is lower for bears,” said Wilson.
