Bears continue to be a bigger issue than usual in Fort McMurray.
Fish and Wildlife says a bear that was spotted near Keyano Industrial yesterday, and another in the Dickinsfield area, have not yet been caught.
A bear on Ermine Crescent in Thickwood was caught today, as well as a bear that was reported in Timberlea this morning.
There have also been reports of a bear in the Birchwood Trails area.
Sustainable Resource Development spokesman Darcy Whiteside has an explanation for the surge in bear sightings.
“Fort McMurray’s a great little area where bears can follow the river valley, follow prey and follow those berries ripening, and that leads them into town,” he says.
“Sometimes there’s enough attractants that they stop thinking about the natural food sources like the berries and prey, and go after the unnatural ones, like garbage in people’s backyards.”
Bear complaints in Fort McMurray have more than doubled this year.
