san38

Has anyone witnessed a bear in canada? I am going to live in Vancouver and feel really anxious about living where there are bears, would my children be safe walking alone,?

What safety precautions do i need if i see one?

Please help me, not using seeing these species

Steve_P

Neither is the average Canadian.

G77

I googled for something to do with bears a few weeks ago and got a whole lot more than I bargained for.....

Think American Pie 2.....

startwin

Are you serious? Many of us out here in BC have seen bears - I have a regular visitor to the fruit tree in my garden in late summer/fall. Never heard of them wandering down the streets of Vancouver though. Your kids will be quite safe unless they are wandering alone in the back country.

Dave+Jules

Seen them or one in New Brunswick and they are more likely to run away than anything else. Stay off the beaten track and you will probably never see one. Moose are more dangerous here in NB

Alberta_Rose

If you live in a town or city in most parts of Canada you are fairly unlikely to encounter a bear.

If you have a cottage in the woods or go hiking or camping in "bear country" then you might. Black bears are more likely than grizzlies, and these bears sometimes wander into the edge of populated areas in search of food or new territory, usually youngsters when they get kicked out by mum!

I certainly would not let it be a deterrent to moving to or visiting Canada. I personally have yet to see a bear, and I would like to and have made several trips into bear country in the hope of seeing one!

Here's a link to Parks Canada's bear advice page.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/visit12_e.asp

If you are walking trails where bears are common or have been sighted there will be warnings to walk in close groups of 4 or 6 minimum, and you should keep your dog on a lead and your children close to you, for instance.

Keep it in perspective though, your kids are FAR more likley to be knocked down and killed by a car in the UK (or in Canada for that matter!) than they are to be attacked by a bear in Canada!

R I C H

I live within the city limits of Kamloops, though relatively rurally. Bears regularly walk through our property (particularly pre-hibernation when they're looking for food). We get coyotes most nights, deer, and on occasion Lynx and Cougars pass through too.

I've watched bears sunbathing on the river bank while waterskiing and seen them (mum and 3 cubs) 50ft away in a tree on the local golf course. They regularly wander too and from the local hillsides plundering the fruit trees, and the bus stop near the end of my driveway is a favourite place for them to cross the road to a neighbours crab apple tree.

Alberta_Rose

Bears AND cougars were seen several times within the city limits in Calgary last summer. A bear even wandered into the hospital here It didn't attack or eat anyone though. http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/visit12_e.asp

Bears that come here get chased out or caught and relocated. If they persist in entering the city they run the risk of being shot. Bears that are unafraid of people and/or see them as a ready food source are known as "habituated". Generally this is a far bigger problem for the bear than it is fro the humans!

minihaha

We drove to Warterton National Park last summer. While I was moaning on about the cost to get in we saw a Black Bear at the side of the rd. Well worth the entrance fee after that.

They have been seen around the Pincher Creek area too. Last year there was a few reports of a Cougar around the Fort Macleod area, thats a bit too close for comfort.
In Calgary we were always seeing Coyotes in the burbs and at the sides of the rds.I am more worried about the Coyotes than anything else as they are more unpredictable and do not have much fear of us as Bears and Cougars.

x mrs minihaha

hot wasabi peas

Your best precaution is education. Learn about bears, how to differentiate between a black bear and a grizzly, their behaviours, habitiat and how to best defend yourself. It is important if you ever come across one to know which species (black or grizzly) that you are dealing with and the circumstances as your response needs to be different.

Check out these:
http://www.bearaware.bc.ca/
http://www.bearsmart.com/

Also, be aware of cougars... I think they likely maul/kill more kids than bears do in BC... which is still very rare.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/kidspage/kidscoug.html

Really though, you should be more worried about perverts and drug dealers.

Novocastrian

Cougars are a danger in several bars in Toronto too.

SarahBC

Hi there,

You'll rarely see bears in urban areas. We live in Powell River, and do see bears very occasionally. It's best to discourage them with proper garbage management, and to pick up any windfall apples etc.

Last autum, I saw one walking across the bottom of my garden. I yelled to my neighbour next door (who I had seen earlier trying to start a bonfire). Turns out, she was holding a petrol can right over the bonfire at this point, and the flames were going up the stream of petrol. That was the moment she saw the bear 20ft away....

So the moral of the story is, if your're a BC resident, there's plenty more ways to cause yourself a mischief than bear attacks.

All the best,

Sarah

PS. No one mention the cougars.....

hot wasabi peas

Like you need to worry...

Novocastrian

Worry? Certainly not.

bananahammock

I've seen 12 in 2 1/2yrs but thats on Vancouver Island