Bear sightings have been down in the North Bay area this year. Senior Media Relations Officer with the MNR is Jolanta Kowalski and she says as of October 21st they have received 120 calls. That’s down from over 200 at the same time last year. Kowalski says they can’t speculate on why they are down. She says usually that means there is more natural food, so the bears aren’t looking for food in abnormal places. That’s when they usually come into contact with humans which in turn leads to more calls. Kowalski says this is usually the time of year when the bears start staying around the area they plan to hibernate. However, she says there are several factors that go into when they actually start to sleep. It depends on whether they have had enough food, and how cold it’s been at night. Kowalski says it’s always a good idea to wait a little while to put out bird seed and stay on top of what garbage is put outside. 

written by matthew.sookram@northbayradio.rogers.com