People vs Bears Headed for a Clash

Bears are becoming more than a nuisance in Cumberland County. In fact, the increased presence of bears around homes and cottages is becoming a threat.

A wildlife technician for the provincial Department of Lands and Forestry told Cumberland Council last night, “We have a lot of bears. The population is growing because they have a lot of food.” Suzanne Adshead says the spring frost damage that wiped out half of this season’s blueberry crop, likely did a lot of damage as well to the bear habitat.

Adshead says they have received a much higher number of calls about bear sightings this year, and bears are wandering closer and closer to humans.

She said, “Bears are smart. They know where the food is. They also realize the food is where we are.” Too often, that involves compost carts, and Adshead suggests limiting what you put in the cart. She says some people are holding compost in a freezer and putting it in the green cart on collection day.

That will dramatically cutback on bear foraging in your dumpster. She says bears are not looking for your food waste, they are looking for the grubs and maggots that thrive in rotting compost. She says bears will often turn over the carts to get at the maggots, leaving the food waste behind.

The problem is growing, with council considering weekly collection of compost. At present, Cumberland collects compost every two weeks. The longer compostable material sits in a green bin, the more attractive that appears to bears, racoons, and other animals.

Cumberland Council has determined that weekly compost collection would add about 250 thousand dollars to collection costs.

Joe Van Vulpen, the councillor for district three, says it is worth considering. His district includes residents and rental visitors to cottages along the shore.

Many visitors have no idea of the impact of human garbage on the natural animal population. Van Vulpen wants council to consider the cost of weekly compost pick-up, versus the cost of a human conflict with a bear.

As the bear population increases, Adshead admits that a spring bear hunt may be part of the solution, but the province has not yet embraced a planned kill. While there has been an obvious growth in the bear population, bounties may not be the solution.

Adshead says people fear bears. She noted that people would not be concerned about a deer crossing their property. She added, “Bears aren’t going anywhere. We have to learn to live with them.”

In the meantime, residents are encouraged to be careful with wild animals. Feeding bears is never the answer. The more people interact with wildlife, the more the wildlife adjust to how they deal with us. They may seem friendly enough when we are the source of food, when conflict arises, bears usually win.