New bear reporting site getting lots of traction

With more than 60 reports of black bear encounters reported to northernbearreport.com in the past two weeks, the initial launch of the online reporting website has been very successful.

Based on the high volume of reports, photos, and video evidence of bear encounters submitted to the fledgling Northern Bear Report service so far, it has already become apparent that bear encounters are vastly underreported in the North.

We are pleased to announce the expansion of the Northern Bear Report online service to include all of Northern Ontario.

Going forward, the Northern Bear Report will be operated jointly by NDP MPPs across Northern Ontario. Together, France Gélinas, (Nickel Belt), Sarah Campbell (Kenora – Rainy River), Michael Mantha (Algoma Manitoulin), Gilles Bisson, (Timmins-James Bay), and John Vanthof (Timiskaming- Cochrane) will use the information collected to convince the Ontario Government to exercise due diligence, and take a proactive approach to wildlife management.

We encourage residents to report bear encounters to Bear Wise (1-866-514-2327) as well as the northernbearreport.com.

The photos and experiences submitted to date are proving to be very helpful in substantiating our case for more effective nuisance bear management by the Province. As always, do not hesitate to call 911 if a threatening encounter with a black bear occurs.

Follow them on Facebook, or via Twitter (@NorthBearReport)